Jharkhand ropeway accident: All trapped tourists rescued, death toll climbs to 3

Deoghar: Rescue operations at Trikut hills close to Baba Baidyanath Temple in Jharkhand's Deoghar district came to an end after all passengers in cable cars were rescued Tuesday noon after being trapped for over 40 hours.

Deoghar Deputy Commissioner Manjunath Bhajantri said the rescue operations were carried out by the combined teams of the Indian Air Force, Army, Indo-Tibetan Border Police and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF).

Meanwhile, the death count in the accident climbed to three when two people, a man and a woman, fell from a helicopter while being rescued.

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 had to be stopped after sunset last evening as the ropeway runs through a picturesque yet densely forested area surrounded by hills, access to which is difficult except by air.

The Jharkhand High Court has taken suo moto cognizance of the Deoghar ropeway incident and has ordered an inquiry into the matter. The court will hear the issue on April 26. Before that, the state has been asked to file a detailed inquiry report through an affidavit.

According to officials, a technical snag may have resulted in the collision of cable cars, but the exact cause of the accident is yet to be confirmed. The ropeway manager and other employees had fled the spot after the incident, news agency PTI reported.

The Trikut ropeway, according to the Jharkhand tourism department, is India's highest vertical ropeway. It is around 766-metre long.