Nearly 300 tourists were safely evacuated on Monday after the cable car service at Gulmarg Gondola was suspended mid operation because of a technical malfunction, leaving dozens of cabins hanging in the air.
Officials said rescue teams successfully completed the evacuation operation after nearly 65 cabins became stranded following the fault.
According to authorities, the rescue effort began around 3 pm and continued for several hours before all passengers were brought down safely.
Government says situation remained under control
Soon after videos of the incident surfaced online, the office of Omar Abdullah confirmed that the administration was monitoring the situation closely and had activated emergency response teams.
The chief minister’s office stated that all cabins remained secure during the disruption and assured the public there was no reason to panic.
Army and rescue teams carried out evacuation
Indian Army Northern Command regularly shared updates during the operation and said rescue teams managed to evacuate most passengers before sunset.
At one stage, officials confirmed that 286 people had already been rescued, with only a handful of cabins still awaiting evacuation.
Authorities later announced that the operation had concluded successfully with all passengers accounted for.
Preliminary reports point to possible system overload
Officials have not yet confirmed the exact reason behind the malfunction, though early assessments from the site suggested that excessive system load may have triggered the shutdown.
The disruption occurred during peak tourist hours and led to the suspension of both phases of the gondola service connecting Gulmarg to Kongdori and further to Afarwat Peak.
As a precautionary measure, the ropeway’s automated safety systems immediately froze cable movement to avoid further danger.
Engineering experts and technical teams were rushed to the site to inspect the system and determine whether the breakdown was caused by mechanical stress or an electrical fault.
Both phases of the gondola service remain shut while investigations continue.
Difficult terrain made rescue operation challenging
Since many cabins were suspended over steep forested areas, rescue personnel launched a specialised vertical evacuation mission.
Teams from the State Disaster Response Force and National Disaster Response Force used harnesses, ropes and specialised mountain rescue equipment to safely bring stranded tourists down one by one.
Medical staff and local administration officials were stationed at the base stations to assist passengers after the evacuation, with several tourists reportedly left shaken by the experience.
Authorities have said the cable car system will undergo a complete structural and technical safety audit before operations are allowed to resume.
