Jharkhand: 2 dead, 32 rescued, 15 still stranded mid-air in Deoghar ropeway mishap 

IAF helicopters, Indian Army, ITBP, NDRF pressed in rescue operation 

Ranchi, April 11 : One more person died on Monday after falling from a chopper during a rescue operation for trapped passengers following malfunction of a ropeway in Jharkhand’s Deoghar district, pushing the toll to two, officials said.

Around 32 people have so far been rescued while 15 people remain trapped mid-air in a row of cable cars, nearly 28 hours after the accident took place around 20 km from the famous Baba Baidyanth temple in Deoghar town.

One person had died late on Sunday and 12 people were injured.

The rescued passengers were airlifted with the help of two Indian Air Force helicopters, Deoghar Deputy Commissioner Manjunath Bhajantri said. The ropeway which runs through a picturesque and densely-forested valley is surrounded by hills, making the operation difficult, except by air.

“Thirty-two people were rescued with the help of choppers, while 15 people are still trapped mid-air in the cable cars suspended at varying heights, the maximum being nearly 1,500 feet. The rescue operation had to be stopped after sunset and will resume tomorrow,”  said Additional Director Geral of Police, R K Mallick.

Mallick said there is heavy security deployment in the area and the rescue effort by joint teams of the Air Force, the Army, ITBP and NDRF will recommence early on Tuesday.

He also confirmed that one person fell from a chopper in the course of rescue and was rushed to hospital, where he died.

According to Deoghar Civil Surgeon C K Sahi, he succumbed to injuries after falling from a considerable height.

Drones were used to supply food and water to those who remain trapped mid-air in the cable cars. Eleven of the stranded tourists were rescued Sunday night.

Expressing sorrow over the incident, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren said rescue and relief operations are being conducted on war footing.

“The government is keeping a close watch on the situation,” he said.

Health Minister Banna Gupta said an enquiry will be conducted and action would be taken against those found guilty of negligence.

The injured people were rescued and hospitalised, Bhajantri said, adding, one passenger died of injuries on Sunday after the accident that saw cable cars colliding with each other, due to a fault in the ropeway system.

The 766-metre Trikut ropeway, according to the Jharkhand Tourism Department, is India’s highest vertical ropeway.

Meanwhile, BJP vice-president and former Jharkhand chief minister Raghubar Das accused the state government of being inactive, even after such a major accident, and claimed that ministers hailing from the region did not visit the site.

A similar cable car accident two-and-a-half years back in the ski-resort of Gulmarg, where the ropeway had snapped, resulted in a family of four and three tourist guides crashing to their death. Another ropeway accident in January 2019 in Jammu had caused the death of two workers. 

Trikutachal Mahadev Temple and the ashram of Rishi Dayanand are situated on Trikuta hill. Every year thousands of people go here for picnics and visit the temple. 

The ropeway built at Rs 1.50 crore is unique as it is an angle of 44 degrees, the total length of the rope on which cabins were fixed is about 766m (2,512 feet). The climbs is about 392m (1,282 feet) from the ground to the top.

According to officials of the state tourism department,

 The length of the ropeway is approximately 766 meters (2512 ft) which is the highest vertical ropeway in India with a maximum lens angle of 44°.