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Srinagar, May 25: Around 300 tourists in 65 cabins of Gulmarg Gondola were stranded mid-air on Monday after the Asia’s highest ropeway developed technical problems, and were rescued after an arduous seven-hour operation.
No casualties were reported in the incident, officials said.
The major multi-agency rescue operation, which also involvedthe army, was launched soon after the system malfunctioned around noon.
The officials said that evacuation from some cabins took longer as these were hovering at a height of nearly 500 ft above ground. Heavy rains in the area also hampered efforts.
“The rescue operation has concluded and all the stranded persons have been evacuated safely,” an official said this evening.
Operations of both phases of the Gulmarg cable car service, popularly known as the Gondola, were suspended following a malfunction, the officials said.
Personnel of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) along with police and the Army were involved in the rescue effort.
Trained teams used ropes and ladders to bring the tourists down safely.
Restoration work on the cable car system is currently underway, the officials said.
Earlier, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said the government was “closely monitoring” the situation.
“All cabins are intact and rescue operations to safely evacuate stranded tourists are underway with trained teams on the ground. The situation is completely under control and there is no cause for panic,” the chief minister said in a post on X.
Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha said he had directed DGP Nalin Prabhat to proceed to Gulmarg to oversee the rescue operation.
“I’m monitoring the rescue operation for tourists stranded in cable car cabins following a technical fault in Gulmarg. I have directed the DGP to proceed to the site. Joint rescue teams of Police, Army & SDRF along with DC and SSP are conducting the operation to ensure the safety of all tourists,” Sinha posted on X.
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The Army said in a post on X that swift and coordinated rescue efforts were launched with the assistance of the Chinar Corps.
On June 25, 2017, the Gulmarg Gondola had witnessed an accident when seven people were killed after a tree uprooted by strong winds struck a cabin, causing it to crash to the ground.
The cable car had also been temporarily suspended in January last year because of technical issues.
Monday’s incident comes a day after a 16-year-old boy died in Agra after a zipline cable snapped at an amusement facility here, causing him to fall nearly 45 ft.
