New Delhi: A trip to Baba Baidyanath temple in Jharkhand's Deoghar district turned into a nightmare for Sandeep after cable cars on a ropeway collided with one another, leading to two deaths and leaving over 10 injured.
The incident took place on Sunday afternoon after two cable cars collided with each other due to a technical glitch on the ropeway at Trikut Hills close to Baba Baidyanath Temple. Rescue operations by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and CISF are underway.
The Trikut ropeway, according to the Jharkhand tourism department, is India's highest vertical ropeway. It is around 766-metre long.
‘We Spent The Night Remembering God’
Sandeep, one of the people who was rescued from one of the trolleys by the CISF, told ABP News that the incident took place around 3:30 pm. However, when they called the emergency number written on the trolley, they were told that there was some glitch and that services would be restored shortly.
It was hours later that the people (one trolley carries four people) on the trolley got to know about the accident.
Sandeep said that as the time passed, he and his fellow passengers felt more and more helpless. Sandeep said that as the day descended, they lost all hopes as they had no food or water to survive the night.
He further said that there was no hope for help as it had already become dark and they all spent the night remembering God.
In the morning, the NDRF and CISF reached the spot and started the rescue mission. He and his fellow passengers were rescued by CISF jawans using a rope.
Rescue Operations Continue
Over 20 people are still stuck in their cable cars waiting to be rescued. Around 24 hours after the accident, drones are used to supply them with food and water.
Most of the passengers were airlifted with the help of two Air Force helicopters.
Health Minister Banna Gupta said an enquiry will be conducted into the incident and action would be taken against those found guilty of negligence.
The ropeway was being run by a private company. Operators running it fled shortly after the accident.