Sky Suspense at Gulmarg: Around 400 Tourists Rescued After Gondola Snag
Tourists stranded mid-air for more than an hour as police, rescue teams launch massive operation; DGP Nalin Prabhat, ADGP Alok Kumar oversee efforts on ground
Srinagar: Around 400 tourists were rescued safely on Monday after the famed Gulmarg Gondola developed a technical snag, leaving passengers suspended mid-air for over an hour amid tense scenes in the picturesque ski resort of north Kashmir.
According to officials, the cable car service came to a sudden halt due to a technical fault while hundreds of tourists were enjoying panoramic rides above the lush meadows and pine-covered slopes of Gulmarg. The disruption triggered panic among stranded passengers, many of whom remained suspended high above the ground as rescue teams rushed into action.
The sudden halt created anxious scenes at both the lower and upper stations of the gondola project, with worried family members and tourists gathering around the boarding areas seeking updates about the stranded passengers. Several tourists trapped inside the cabins reportedly used their mobile phones to contact relatives and record videos from the suspended cable cars as rescue efforts continued below.
Managing Director Cable Car Corporation, Syed Qamar Sajad, said rescue operations were launched immediately after the snag was detected.
“Technical teams acted swiftly and all tourists were evacuated safely. Safety protocols were activated without delay,” he said.
Eyewitnesses, however, said nearly 400 tourists were stranded mid-air during the suspension of the service.
Officials said multiple emergency agencies coordinated the rescue operation, including the Jammu and Kashmir Police, Tourist Police, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Army, Fire and Emergency Services Department, local administration and technical staff of the cable car corporation. Rescue teams remained stationed beneath the suspended cabins while engineers worked simultaneously to restore movement and evacuate passengers safely.
The Fire and Emergency Services Department said the operation concluded successfully after an intense joint rescue effort launched shortly after the technical glitch occurred.
According to officials, four Fire and Emergency Services stations — Gulmarg, Tangmarg, Kunzar and Wanigam — were actively engaged in the operation. The department deployed Quick Response Vehicles (QRVs) and high-tech lighting towers at the site to assist rescue teams and ensure visibility as the operation continued.
The rescue operation was carried out under the overall supervision of ADGP Fire and Emergency Services Alok Kumar (IPS), while Director General of Police Nalin Prabhat personally visited the spot to oversee the rescue efforts and assess the situation on the ground. Senior officers from various agencies remained present throughout the operation to monitor the situation closely and ensure the safety of stranded tourists.
Eyewitnesses described emotional and tense scenes as women, children and elderly tourists waited anxiously inside the dangling cabins amid uncertainty. Some passengers were seen praying while others attempted to comfort frightened children as rescue personnel continuously communicated with them from the ground.
“We were enjoying the ride when suddenly the gondola stopped. Initially we thought it would resume within minutes, but when it remained suspended for a long time, panic started spreading among passengers,” said a tourist from Gujarat. “The police and rescue teams kept reassuring us throughout the operation, which helped calm many people.”
Another tourist from Maharashtra described the experience as frightening but praised the swift response of the authorities. “Being suspended so high above the ground for nearly an hour was terrifying, especially for families with children. But the rescue teams acted professionally and ensured everyone was brought down safely,” he said.
Despite the frightening ordeal, officials confirmed that all stranded tourists were rescued safely and no injuries were reported in the incident.
As news of the incident spread, anxious scenes unfolded around the gondola base station where hundreds of tourists and local visitors gathered, closely following the rescue operation. Authorities repeatedly appealed to people to remain calm while emergency teams worked systematically to bring stranded passengers to safety.
The successful rescue operation was widely praised by tourists and locals alike, many describing it as a testament to the swift coordination between police, SDRF, Army, Fire and Emergency Services personnel and technical staff at the Gulmarg Gondola.
The temporary suspension of the gondola service also briefly affected tourist movement in the area before normalcy was restored following the completion of the rescue operation.
The Gulmarg Gondola, regarded as one of the highest cable car projects in the world, remains one of Kashmir’s biggest tourist attractions and carries thousands of visitors every season. Officials said a detailed technical inspection would now be conducted to ascertain the cause of the snag and ensure all safety mechanisms are fully functional before services resume completely.
