Mid-Air Panic in Gulmarg: Nearly 300 Tourists Stranded After Sudden Gondola Cable Car Failure

According to officials, the cable car service, widely known as the Gondola, stopped functioning unexpectedly due to a technical malfunction, leaving passengers trapped inside multiple suspended cabins for a brief period. The sudden stoppage created alarm among tourists, many of whom were families with women and children, as they were left hanging mid-air without movement.

Following the incident, rescue operations were immediately launched involving personnel from the Indian Army’s 9 Raj Rif regiment, Jammu and Kashmir Police, and civil administration teams. Senior officials, including the Sub-Divisional Magistrate and the revenue officer of Tangmarg, reached the site to oversee evacuation efforts and monitor the evolving situation on the ground.

Eyewitness accounts described scenes of panic inside the cabins, with stranded tourists visibly distressed as the Gondola remained suspended mid-operation. Multiple videos from the site showed passengers waiting inside the cable cars while coordinated rescue efforts were underway below.

Authorities stated that the situation was swiftly brought under control and all standard safety protocols were strictly followed during the evacuation process. An official confirmed that a technical issue had led to the temporary suspension of the Gondola service and that rescue teams were deployed immediately to prioritize the safe evacuation of all stranded passengers.

Technical experts were also deployed at the site to identify the exact cause of the malfunction and restore operations at the earliest possible time, officials added.

The office of Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah also issued a statement, confirming close monitoring of the situation. The statement said that all cabins remained intact and that rescue operations were being conducted with trained teams on the ground. It further assured that the situation was fully under control and there was no cause for panic.

The Gulmarg Gondola, considered one of the highest cable car systems in the world, is a major tourist attraction in the region and experiences heavy visitor traffic, especially during the summer season. The incident has once again highlighted the critical importance of operational safety in high-altitude tourism infrastructure.