Srinagar, May 25: A massive rescue and evacuation operation was launched on Monday after a technical malfunction in the Gulmarg Gondola cable car system left hundreds of tourists stranded between the Base Station and Phase-1 (Kongdori) amid inclement weather conditions in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district.
Officials told GNS the Indian Army, along with the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Jammu and Kashmir Police, civil administration and other agencies, carried out a coordinated rescue operation after the Gondola services were suddenly suspended due to a technical fault.
An Army statement said a distress call was received from the Jammu and Kashmir Police and the Gondola Management Authority regarding the safety of stranded tourists, following which rescue teams were immediately mobilised to the affected area.
Troops from the Butapathri Battalion deployed three Casualty Assistance Teams (CATs) between the Gondola Base Station and Phase-1, while the Army also moved forward its All-Terrain Vehicle (ATV) to assist in evacuation efforts in the difficult terrain and adverse weather.
Additional ATVs were arranged through the Gulmarg ATV Association to support the operation as restoration of the Gondola system was expected to take time.
Officials said nearly 300 tourists were stranded in the cable car cabins after operations of both phases of the Gondola service were suspended following the malfunction. However, no casualties or injuries were reported.
“As per the latest update, a total of 65 cable cars were affected by the malfunction,” the Army said in a statement to GNS.
Rescue teams evacuated 17 cable cars from the Phase-1 side, rescuing 94 tourists, while 15 cable cars from the Base Station side were also evacuated, leading to the rescue of another 90 persons.
“In total, 184 stranded tourists have been safely evacuated so far through the coordinated efforts of the Indian Army, SDRF, Jammu and Kashmir Police and other responding agencies,” said GOC 19 Div Maj Gen Manoj Joshi.
Technical teams of the Gondola authorities are assessing the exact nature and extent of the malfunction, while rescue and restoration operations continued till last reports.
Meanwhile, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha said he was personally monitoring the situation and spoke to Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo regarding the ongoing rescue operation.
The Lieutenant Governor directed Director General of Police Nalin Prabhat to proceed to Gulmarg and oversee the rescue mission.
In a post on X, Sinha said: “I’m monitoring the rescue operation for tourists stranded in cable car cabins following a technical fault in Gulmarg. I have directed DGP to proceed to the site. Joint rescue team of Police, Army & SDRF & DC, SSP is conducting the operation to ensure the safety of all tourists”.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said the government was “closely monitoring” the situation.
“All cabins are intact and rescue operations to safely evacuate stranded tourists are underway with trained teams on the ground. The situation is completely under control and there is no cause for panic,” Abdullah posted on X. (GNS)
