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New Delhi: At least two people have died in an accident where a row of 12 ropeway cable cars collided with each other – trapping nearly 50 people mid-air – at Trikut hills in Jharkhand’s Deoghar district on Sunday, April 10.
According to an official to spoke to PTI, 10 tourists sustained serious injuries in the collision that occurred around 4.30 pm.
Two airforce choppers are aiding evacuation, but reports have it that dozens are still stuck in the cable cars, almost 23 hours later.
Indian Express has reported that 18 of the 48 people stranded have been rescued yet.
Rescue operations underway by Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel alongwith sister organizations at Trikut Ropeway, #Deoghar. #Himveers pic.twitter.com/516IQvtE87
— ITBP (@ITBP_official) April 11, 2022
“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. Since then, according to reports, the toll has increased to two.
#WATCH | A recce was conducted by one of the helicopters in the morning and operations are underway in coordination with the district administration and NDR to rescue people from ropeway site near Trikut in Deoghar, Jharkhand pic.twitter.com/Mum5Tq73nq
— ANI (@ANI) April 11, 2022
DC Bhajantri 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 also said, adding that the ropeway was being run by a private company.
Operators running the system fled the area shortly after the accident.
Girl rescued after 20 hours. Till now 18 rescued, 1 dead & 30 on ropeway.
#Deoghar #Jharkhand pic.twitter.com/7JQQg1GeQJ
— Ashish Sinha (@Ashish_sinhaa) April 11, 2022
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.
(With PTI inputs)