Indian Army, J&K Police, SDRF Pull Off High-Altitude Rescue After Gulmarg Gondola Snag

Around 300 tourists travelling in 65 cabins of the Gulmarg Gondola were stranded mid-air on Monday after Asia’s highest ropeway developed technical problems. All stranded tourists were later rescued safely after a challenging seven-hour operation, officials said. No casualties were reported in the incident. The rescue mission began soon after the system malfunctioned around noon and involved multiple agencies, including the Army, SDRF, NDRF and police. Officials said evacuation from some cabins took longer as they were suspended nearly 500 feet above the ground, while heavy rainfall further hampered efforts. Trained rescue teams used ropes and ladders to safely evacuate tourists. Operations of both phases of the Gulmarg cable car service were suspended following the malfunction. Restoration work on the ropeway system is currently underway, officials added.