A deadly cable car accident on Friday left hundreds of people stranded above rocky ground on the outskirts of the Turkish city of Antalya, Euronews reported.
A car collided with a utility pole, killing one person and injuring seven others. More than 150 people were left stranded in the air after the car exploded, slamming its passengers into the rocky ground. euro news.
The Turkish rescue team, consisting of 607 search and rescue personnel and 10 helicopters, completed the mission in 23 hours, rescuing 174 passengers, Euronews reported on Saturday. (Related: Video shows dramatic rescue of man clinging to cliff edge in California)
Almost a day after fatal cable car accident in Turkey, 174 people stranded in midair are rescued https://t.co/B779nbJWRm
— FOX 5 San Diego (@fox5sandiego) April 14, 2024
The newspaper said some passengers remained stranded after 19 hours, while others, like Istanbul resident Hatice Polat, were rescued after seven grueling hours. The cable car flipped four or five times during the power outage, Porat told the state-run Anadolu Agency, Euronews reported.
“That night was terrible, we were very scared. There were children with us and they fainted,” Porat said. “Being there for seven hours was torture. Shaking every second, constant fear… It was very traumatic, I don’t know how to overcome this trauma.”
A 54-year-old Turkish man was killed in the incident. Six Turkish nationals and one Kyrgyz citizen were injured, Euronews reported, citing Anadolu Agency.
The report said all the injured, including two children, were rescued by a Coast Guard helicopter.
of BBC posted a video released by the Turkish Ministry of Defense showing the dramatic rescue of a passenger by rescue workers hanging from a cable wire connected to a helicopter. The video shows the man being lifted through the air to safety and boarding a military helicopter.
The cable car attraction is operated by the Antalya Metropolitan Municipality and is being promoted as a “must-see” for tourists seeking “a stunning panorama of Antalya and the Mediterranean Sea,” Euronews reported.
The ride typically lasts nine minutes and takes tourists from the beach to a mountain peak more than 600 feet above sea level with a restaurant and observation deck, according to Euronews.
The Antalya Chief Prosecutor’s Office is investigating the accident and a team of mechanical and electrical engineers and health and safety experts has been appointed to determine the cause of the accident, Euronews reported.
