In a shocking accident as many as 5 people died in Gulmarg in Jammu & Kashmir when a tree fell on the ropeway carrying the tourists and a guide in the cable car. The impact of the tree was so forceful that it snapped the cables due to which one of the cable cars came crashing to the ground hundreds of feet below.
5 People Killed in Cable car crash
5 poeple who died in the accident included a family from Delhi and a local tourist guide. The deceased have been identified as Mukhtar Ahmed (local guide), Jayant Andraskar (Deceased), Manshea Andraskar (Wife of the deceased) and their two daughters Janhvi and Anagha. As per reports rescue operations have been initiated to save other tourists and people trapped in other cars of the gondola cable car project.
First such incident in Gulmarg, J&K
As per former Chief Minister of J&K, Omar Abdullah’s tweet (@abdullah_omar) this is first-of-its-kind accident in the valley. He tweeted ‘What terrible news! If confirmed this will be the first such incident with the Gulmarg cable car. My heart felt condolences to the families.’ In another tweet the former CM expressed his condolences to the relatives of the deceased’s family ‘Heart breaking images coming out of Gulmarg. What a tragic way for a family holiday to end. Can’t sympathise enough with the families.’ While questioning the operating authorities’ carelessness the former CM raised another question on the social networking site saying ‘If this is what happened it begs the question as to why the cable car operations weren’t suspended in high winds. That’s a laid down SOP.’
Where is the cable car ropeway
Gulmarg Gondola, a ropeway project, ferries approximately 600 people per hour. A joint venture of the J&K government and French firm Pomagalski, the two-stage gondola functions to and from Kongdoori Mountain and is the world’s second highest operating cable car project. The gondola lift is split in two stages where in the first stage the car transfers tourists from the Gulmarg resort at 8,530 feet to Kongdoori Station in the bowl-shaped Kongdori valley and in the second stage it ferries the skiers to a height of 12,293 ft on Kongdoori Mountain. There are 36 cabins and 18 towers in the second stage of the Gulmarg Gondola ropeway.
The Tribune has reported that more than 100 people are stranded on the gondola ropeway.
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