India's 'highest vertical ropeway' mishap: dozens trapped, 1 dead

At least one person has died while 48 others lay trapped mid-air in a row of 12 ropeway trollies that collided with each other at Trikut hills, close to Baba Baidyanath Temple, in Jharkhand's Deoghar district, a senior official said on Monday.

According to the official, 10 tourists sustained serious injuries in the collision that occurred around 4.30 pm on Sunday, and one of them died late in the night.

Two airforce choppers have arrived for evacuation, he said.

"All efforts are being made to airlift the tourists to safety. An NDRF team working since Sunday night has rescued 11 people. Locals, too, are helping with the rescue operation. Ten people have sustained serious injuries in the incident, of which one of them died late last night," Deoghar Deputy Commissioner Manjunath Bhajantri told PTI over phone.

Asked about the reason that led to the accident, the DC said the entire district machinery was at present involved in the evacuation exercise, and a probe would be initiated only after the operation got over.

Prima facie it seemed that a technical snag caused the accident, the DC maintained.

He also said that the ropeway was being run by a private company.

Operators running the system fled the area shortly after the accident.

The Trikut ropeway, according to the Jharkhand tourism department, is India's highest vertical ropeway with a maximum lens angle of 44 degrees.

The ropeway, situated around 20 km from Baba Baidyanath Temple, is around 766-metre-long, while the hill is 392-metres-high.

Also Watch| Major ropeway accidents in India since 2003