Rescue teams saved around 300 tourists trapped in 65 gondola cabins after a cable-car system malfunction in Gulmarg, Jammu and Kashmir [1].
The incident highlights the safety risks associated with high-altitude tourist infrastructure and the critical need for rapid-response coordination in remote terrain.
The rescue operation took place on May 25, 2024 [4], and lasted about seven hours [3]. The stranded passengers were suspended in cabins at an altitude of approximately 13,000 feet [6], with some cabins reported to be dangling nearly 500 feet above the ground [7].
Teams from the Indian Army, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), local police, and volunteers collaborated to evacuate the tourists [1]. The operation began after a technical fault halted the ropeway mid-air [2]. While some reports describe the event as a technical snag [2], other initial reports suggest a system overload may have triggered the malfunction [5].
The gondola system remained closed on May 26 and May 27, 2024, for essential maintenance following the incident [5]. The rescue was described as a dramatic midnight operation to ensure all passengers were safely returned to ground level [4].
Authorities have not yet released a final report on the specific mechanical failure. The coordinated effort between military and civilian agencies was necessary due to the extreme altitude, and the number of people trapped across multiple cabins [1].
“Around 300 tourists were trapped in 65 gondola cabins”
This incident underscores the vulnerability of tourism-dependent infrastructure in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. The reliance on a multi-agency response, including the Indian Army, suggests that local civilian emergency services may lack the specialized high-altitude equipment necessary for large-scale ropeway rescues. A formal investigation into whether system overload caused the failure will likely determine if the facility was operating beyond its rated capacity.
