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Business News/ Politics / Policy/  Gulmarg: Cable car accident kills 7 people, J&K govt orders inquiry
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Gulmarg: Cable car accident kills 7 people, J&K govt orders inquiry

Four tourists and three local residents died when a cable car came crashing down from a height of at least 100 feet after derailing from a pulley in Gulmarg

The gondola at Gulmarg is one of the world’s highest, ferrying passengers to a height of 4,100 metres (13,450 feet). File photo: iStockPremium
The gondola at Gulmarg is one of the world’s highest, ferrying passengers to a height of 4,100 metres (13,450 feet). File photo: iStock

Srinagar: Seven people including two children were killed Sunday when a cable car came crashing down from a height of at least 30 metres (100 feet) after derailing from a pulley in the tourist resort of Gulmarg in Jammu and Kashmir. About 150 people were stranded in other cable cars on the mountain in Gulmarg in high winds, but were later rescued.

The Jammu and Kashmir government ordered a high level inquiry into the tragic incident. Chief minister Mehbooba Mufti announced this as she expressed grief and shock over the deaths.

Mufti, who was herself monitoring the rescue operations, also announced ex-gratia relief of Rs5 lakh in favour of the next of kin of the deceased, an official spokesman said. He said the chief minister also directed a high level inquiry to find the causes or lapses, if any, that led to the accident.

The gondola lift at Gulmarg claims to be the world’s highest, ferrying passengers to a height of 4,100 metres (13,450 feet) for panoramic views of the snow-clad Himalayas. The cable car carries tourists in the Pirpanjal mountain range in the western Himalayas.

Police superintendent Imtiyaz Hussain said seven people were killed in the accident. One of the injured was in critical condition. The dead included a Delhi couple and their two children. The three local residents who died included two tourist guides.

Authorities have launched a rescue operation for at least 100 people stranded in cable cars on the ropeway, Hussain said. They were also scouring the nearby forest area for any tourists who may have fallen there. “We are combing the forest area below the cable line to see if there are any more bodies," said Hussain.

Another police officer said a couple, two children and a local guide were among the dead.

Gulmarg is the only ski resort in Jammu and Kashmir, with tourists also visiting in the off-season for the views.

But visitor numbers have dipped in recent years amid unrest in the region, with violence rising since the death of a popular militant leader last year.

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Published: 25 Jun 2017, 05:57 PM IST
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