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More than 200 tourists onboard the suspended cabins of Asia’s highest cablegram car (13,054 ft. to 13,780 ft.) were rescued pursuing melodramatic efforts implicit respective hours successful the northbound Kashmir elevation presumption of Gulmarg.
Rescue operations were launched connected Monday (May 25, 2026) day aft the cablegram car developed a method snag, leaving the 65 cabins dangling. Panic gripped the stranded tourists arsenic the upwind turned inclement, with beardown winds and rains lashing Gulmarg.
The rescue cognition lasted implicit 4 hours, and ensured the information of each the tourists, officials said. Technical teams were assessing the quality and grade of the malfunction, they added. The cabins are slung connected cables of highly tensile strength, which determination continuously.
“Over 200 stranded tourists were rescued by State Disaster Response Force personnel, elite J&K Police ‘Snow Leopards’ teams, and unit of the J&K equipped police, including 14 upland rescue teams. The Indian Army’s 9 Rajputana Rifles, and the High Altitude Warfare School besides made exemplary contributions to this squad effort,” a constabulary spokesperson said.
Personnel were rushed to the gondola cablegram car aft a method responsibility caused a abrupt suspension of services betwixt the Base Station and Phase-1, an Army spokesperson said. “Following a distress telephone received from the J&K Police and the Gondola Management Authority regarding the information and evacuation of stranded tourists, the Indian Army swiftly swung into enactment and mobilised rescue teams towards the affected area,” the Army said.
The Army pressed into work an all-terrain conveyance (ATV) to facilitate evacuation efforts “in the challenging terrain and prevailing inclement upwind conditions”. Additional ATVs were coordinated done the Gulmarg ATV Association to augment evacuation efforts.
Top constabulary officials besides reached the spot to oversee the rescue operations, officials said. J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah deputed Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Kumar Choudhary to Gulmarg “to personally oversee the rescue operations pursuing the impermanent stoppage of the gondola work owed to a method fault”, an authoritative spokesperson said.
“All cabins stay intact and trained rescue teams are actively engaged connected the crushed to safely evacuate the stranded tourists. The authorities has assured that the concern is wholly nether control, and determination is nary origin for panic,” the spokesperson said.
J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha monitored the situation, a Lok Bhavan spokesperson said. “I americium monitoring the rescue cognition for tourists stranded successful cablegram car cabins pursuing a method responsibility successful Gulmarg. I person directed the Director General of Police (DGP) to proceed to the site,” Mr. Sinha said.
Mr. Abdullah said that the incidental volition beryllium thoroughly examined and an enquiry conducted into the method fault. “Responsibility for immoderate lapses volition beryllium fixed and due enactment taken accordingly,” helium said.
“The incidental occurred astatine astir 1.20 p.m., erstwhile a method responsibility forced respective gondola cabins carrying tourists to stay suspended mid-air. Fourteen SDRF teams were initially pressed into service, portion an further squad was aboriginal deployed, taking the full fig of SDRF teams progressive successful the cognition to 15,” DGP Nalin Prabhat said.
Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary said a elaborate study regarding the incidental would beryllium submitted to the Chief Minister, pursuing which due measures would beryllium taken to ascertain the origin of the method snag to forestall the recurrence of specified incidents successful the future. Mr. Choudhary directed the acrophobic authorities to guarantee that each indispensable information protocols were strictly adhered to, and stressed the request for aboriginal restoration of services for the convenience of tourists and locals.
“Tourists are our valued guests and each imaginable effort was made to guarantee their harmless rescue. I americium thankful that each the passengers are harmless and the rescue cognition has concluded successfully,” the Deputy CM said.
The gondola, said to beryllium Asia’s highest and longest cablegram car project, is simply a large attraction for tourists visiting Kashmir. Every day, astir 4,000 radical thrust the cablegram car. The acquisition is divided successful 2 phases: Gulmarg-Kongdoori, and Kongdoori-Afarwat. The gondolas glide implicit a lush wood scope covered with conifer trees to the immense rolling grassy meadows astatine Khilanmarg.
The Gulmarg gondola volition stay closed May 26 and 27 for maintenance. Tickets issued for May 25, 26 and 27 volition beryllium refunded successful full.
