At least three people lost their lives in the rescue operation Jharkhand where over 40 people were trapped in cable cars mid-air since Sunday.
The accident was a result of a collision of two cable cars due to a technical glitch on the ropeway.
One of the dead was a woman who fell to the ground as she was brought down through a rope during the rescue operation in Trikut Hills in Jharkhand's Deoghar district.
Video from the site showed the woman losing balance and falling to the ground meters below.
She had suffered serious injuries and died during treatment.
The operation was concluded today after all those stuck were safely rescued.
The rescued passengers were airlifted with the help of two Indian Air Force helicopters, Deoghar Deputy Commissioner Manjunath Bhajantri said. The ropeway which runs through a picturesque and densely-forested valley is surrounded by hills, making the operation difficult, except by air.
¡°Thirty-two persons were rescued with the help of choppers, while 15 are still trapped mid-air in the cable cars suspended at varying heights, the maximum being nearly 1,500 ft. The rescue operation had to be stopped after sunset and will resume tomorrow,¡± Additional Director General of Police RK Mallick said.
A PTI report said a couple jumped from the cable car following the mishap and they were seriously injured. Both were rushed to a hospital.
It was reported that following the mishap, the ropeway manager and other staff fled the site.
According to Jharkhand Tourism, Trikut ropeway is the highest vertical ropeway in the country and has a maximum lens angle of 44 degrees. The ropeway has been built some 20 km from Baba Baidyanath Temple and is about 766-metres-long. The Trikut hill is 392-metres-high. The ropeway has 25 cabins and each can seat four people.
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