A catastrophic cable car accident terrified travellers in the mountainous terrain of southern Turkey when it crashed into a hefty metal structure prop, causing the car to disintegrate and plunge its eight fear-stricken inhabitants towards the jagged ridges below, last Friday.
The disastrous accident resulted in one fatality, and seven wounded, while nearly 200 other passengers were stranded mid-air in various other cabins, left suspended for terrifying hours into Saturday afternoon while rescue teams endeavoured to liberate them from the jeopardized line.
To rescue an aggregate of 174 stranded individuals, Turkey’s Interior Minister disclosed that helicopters, hefty cranes, and an extensive team of rescuers were deployed to the site. Among those affected were children, locals, as well as travellers from abroad who were stuck in cabins suspended meters from the Sarisu ground, in the Antalya province, as stated by officials.
Ali Yerlikaya, the Interior Minister, publicized on social media that thirteen individuals were transported to the hospital for immediate medical attention.
Vintage cable cars generally convey passengers to an elevated viewpoint on the erose, tree-laden mountain, a perspective where hills and the city of Antalya are draped in a breathtaking view of the Mediterranean Sea. The occurrence of the accident coincided with the weekend commencement, marking the end of Ramadan with the holiday Eid, which likely resulted in heightened touristic activity.
At about 6pm local time on the fateful Friday, a structure integral to the cable car system was impelled towards a cabin, causing heavy damage to the cable car and consequentially dropping its passengers to the stony terrain when the platform beneath them abruptly crumbled, as reported by Demiroren news agency.
Among those who plummeted from the broken cable car was a 54-year-old male who sadly expired at the scene, leaving the other seven injured. Demiroren reported that the Mayor of Antalya, Muhittin Bocek, informed media personnel on the scene about at least three more casualties during the rescue operation.
Images captured onsite painted a grim image of the shattered cable car, absent a floor and with broken windows, dangling eerily meters above the ground during the evening dusk. The neighbouring cabins, many harbouring petrified occupants, were bizarrely arranged across the cable line, suspended like tiny orange beads above the rocky terrain and foliage beneath.
To aid in the rescue operation, towering cranes were erected alongside some of the damaged cars in an attempt to reach them. In some cases, emergency personnel wearing protective helmets even climbed up the ropes to access the trapped inhabitants. The injured were transported to a safe location using metal baskets attached to helicopters.
An incident took place where a woman with high-heeled sandals and a little child fastened to her body was gradually lowered to the floor using safety equipment. This occurred as she was assisted from a cable car by a rescue worker, while the remaining passengers calmly awaited their turn. During the course of Friday night into Saturday morning, a total of 137 individuals were effectively rescued. Consequently, on Saturday afternoon, the mission was officially wrapped up, a whole day after the cable cars became immobilised.
Around midday, some passengers were yet to be rescued from five cabins. This turned out to be a meticulous and high-risk operation. Turkey’s lead agency official for emergencies, Okay Memis, stated during a TV interview that the unpredictable air pockets, combined with the wind, inhibited helicopters from operating near the site for their rescue mission. He added that the operation was taking place in an extraordinarily inclined area. He stated that there was incessant communication with those stranded.
It was revealed by the justice minister that prosecutorial inquiries into the event are ongoing to discover the primary cause and ascertain culpability. There were 24 cabins suspended in air when the crisis occurred. The diminutive cars, which each have a maximum capacity of eight, accommodated both adults and children. The lift, established in 2017, kicked off close to a picnic spot and gave unhindered access to shops, a cafe, and a viewing platform at the peak.
The regular and periodic maintenance of the cable line had been undertaken, according to Bocek, whose jurisdiction oversees the cable line, speaking during a TV interview. The official from Bocek’s party, Deniz Yavuzyilmaz, confirmed that the most recent annual maintenance was carried out from February 19th through March 4th of the current year. The original version of this report was previously published in the New York Times, 2024, owned by the New York Times Company.