3 Dead in Jharkhand Ropeway Accident
Dozens of people were trapped mid-air after cable cars connecting the Trikut Hills in Deoghar collided on 10 April 2022.
In Jharkhand’s Deoghar district there is a ropeway with cable cars at Trikut Hills. a world-famous religious place. The ropeway runs through a picturesque yet densely forested area surrounded by hills, access to which is difficult except by air. The Trikut ropeway, according to the Jharkhand tourism department, is India's highest vertical ropeway. It is around 766-metre long. On Sunday 10 April due to Ramnavmi, there were many tourists who had come to enjoy the ropeway. However, in an unfortunate incident, 1 of the cable car collided with the other and then both the cable cars got stuck mid-air. There were around 50 people in both cars. Also, drones were tasked with delivering water and food to them. The ndian Air Force was roped in to assist with rescue operations alongside the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP). However on Sunday evening, the rescue operations had to stop as it had become very dark. Then Monday 11 April morning the rescue operations started.The densely forested area surrounded by hills and trolleys dangling at heights of up to 1500 feet made it difficult for the ground teams to rescue the stranded people.
The government officials said that the cable cars were being operated by a private company and the operators fled the area shortly after the accident. People stuck in the cars had very little food and water to eat. Some even stored their urine in water bottles, as they did not know when they would be rescued. Everyone thought they were going to die. People who had mobiles were conserving their batteries to talk to their loved ones. The trapped tourists had to be airlifted from Mi-17 helicopters of the Indian Air Force. Many were rescued by Monday evening, thanks to the rescue efforts. Unfortunately, 2 people fell from the helicopter when they were airlifted and they died. 1 man and 1 woman died. 1 person died due to some other reason.
Many tourists were injured and are now being treated at the hospital. Chief Minister Hemant Soren ordered a high-level probe. Jharkhand High Court has taken Suo Moto Cognisance. This means the HC has decided to file a complaint. Generally, someone will file a case in court and then the court investigates. Since the matter was so dangerous, the HC decided to file a case on their own and directed the state government to file a reply by April 25.
