#Gulmarg All tourists stranded in air evacuated. Cable car restored. RIP the 7 departed souls including 4 from one Delhi family. pic.twitter.com/SflQPkksYM
— Mubassir Latifi مبصر (@Mubassir_Latifi) June 25, 2017
This weekend in the Indian Himalayas, a popular ski resort gondola at Gulmarg came crashing down, leaving several dead and more than 150 trapped in the cable cars. A sudden gust of wind apparently uprooted a pine tree that then crashed into the cable car assembly. According to an Indian news source, one car fell almost 100 feet to the ground, killing six of its passengers (a seventh victim was later confirmed dead as well).
There were fifteen other cable cars trapped in the madness. Army officials spent almost four hours rescuing survivors including children, elderly and middle-aged alike. Many complained of breathing issues once rescued.
Gulmarg is a famous Himalayan destination for backcountry skiers and riders because much of the area accessed by the gondola is off-piste. But it’s also a popular tourist spot for general sight-seeing in the summer thanks to the world-class gondola service. It lies in the Indian province of Jammu and Kashmir, an area of tension between Pakistani Muslims and Indian Hindus. Despite its zone of political tension, the resort brings in thousands of people of all backgrounds during the summer and winter.
According to reports, this is a first for Gulmarg Cable Car Service, which had not had an accident or incident since its opening in 1998 by the French Firm Pomalgalski. The gondola service is one of the highest in Asia having a total aerial distance of approximately three miles. The gondola did resume operations after the accident.
