Gulmarg Gondola Scare Ends Safely, around 400 Tourists Rescued Mid-Air
Army, Police, SDRF and civil teams launch swift evacuation after technical snag halts cable car service
A rescue operation launched after a technical snag halted the Gulmarg Gondola service on Monday concluded successfully, with all stranded tourists evacuated safely, officials said.
Around 400 tourists were stranded mid-air after the cable car service developed a technical fault, forcing suspension of operations at the famous ski resort in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district.
Soon after the incident, rescue teams comprising personnel from the Army, Jammu and Kashmir Police, SDRF and the civil administration rushed to the spot and launched a large-scale evacuation operation.
Senior officials, including Nalin Prabhat and V. K. Birdi, reached Gulmarg to oversee the rescue efforts.
Army officials, including Punit Doval, Manoj Dattatrey Joshi, M. B. Singh and S. K. Yadav, also monitored the operation on the ground.
Eyewitnesses said several tourists, including women and children, panicked after the gondola stopped abruptly mid-air. However, officials said the evacuation was carried out in a coordinated manner and all tourists were brought to safety without any injuries.—(KNO)
Update from Gulmarg Gondola, Locals Rescuing Tourists
Tourists are being rescued after the Gulmarg Gondola developed a technical snag at Phase 1. Weather wasn’t the reason.
Out of 62 cabins, 10 have been cleared so far. Each cabin has a maximum carrying capacity of six persons.
Operations at both Phase 1 and Phase 2 have been halted, while tourists stranded at Phase 2 will also need to be brought down safely.
Gulmarg Base Altitude: 8,694 ft. (2650 m)
Phase 1 Altitude (Kongdori Station): 10,006 ft. (3050 m)
Phase 2 Altitude (Affarwat Station): 12959 ft. (3950 m)
Section 1 Slope Distance (Gulmarg Base to Phase 1): 2.3 kms
Section 2 Slope Distance (Phase 1 to Phase 2): 2.65 kms
A day-long rescue operation is expected, with many locals actively assisting teams on the ground in evacuating tourists.
Technical Fault Hits Gulmarg Gondola
“Situation Completely Under Control, No Cause for Panic”: CM Omar Abdullah on Gulmarg Gondola Fault
Rescue Operations Underway After Temporary Suspension of Cable Car Service Due to Technical Glitch
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday said the government is closely monitoring the situation at the Gulmarg Gondola after the cable car service was temporarily halted due to a technical fault.
In a post on X, the Office of the Chief Minister, as per news agency JKNS, stated that all gondola cabins remain intact and rescue operations are underway to safely evacuate stranded tourists.
“Government is closely monitoring the situation at the Gulmarg Gondola after the cable car service was temporarily halted due to a technical fault. All cabins remain intact and rescue operations to safely evacuate stranded tourists are underway with trained teams on the ground,” the post read.
The Chief Minister’s Office further assured that the situation is fully under control and urged people not to panic.
“The situation is completely under control and there is no cause for panic,” it added. (JKNS)