Solan (Himachal Pradesh): As many as 11 people, including two senior citizens, were stranded mid-air in a cable car for around six hours before being rescued at the famed Timber Trail private resort in Himachal Pradesh's Solan district.
They were rescued by deploying another cable car trolly, Deputy Superintendent of Police Pranav Chauhan told the media. According to police, the cable car was mid-way when the trolley's shaft developed a snag. Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur reached the spot to oversee the rescue operation. The technical team of the timber trail operator was on the spot while several police teams monitored the situation while NDRF carried out the rescue operation.
A video message by the stranded tourists appealed for help saying they have been stuck in the cable car for over two hours, but received no help. Anita Garg, one of the rescued passengers, said they remained stuck for five to six hours. Of the eleven, 10 belonged to five families. The attraction at the resort on the Shivalik hills is the ride in a cable car to Timber Heights (5,000 ft) on a mountain top.
Also read: Harrowing video shows cable cars colliding moments before Deoghar ropeway disaster
This is the second incident involving cable cars in India in less than three months. Earlier in April, three people died after two cable cars connecting the Trikut Hills in Jharkhand's Deoghar collided in April due to a technical glitch. The rescue operation continued for over 40 hours. While one man fell from one of the Indian Airforce choppers, another woman died after the rope which was being used to rescue her broke. The remaining 45 tourists who were stuck in the cable cars were rescued.
