Fatal Cable Car Crash: Intense Mid-Air Rescue Effort

Clear Facts

• A fatal cable car accident occurred on Friday near Antalya city in Turkey, resulting in one death and seven injuries after a car hit a pole and plummeted to the ground.
• Turkish rescue teams, involving 607 personnel and 10 helicopters, conducted a 23-hour rescue operation to save 174 stranded passengers.
• The Antalya Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office is currently investigating the accident, with a team of mechanical and electrical engineers and health and safety experts assigned to ascertain the cause of the incident.

A tragic cable car accident occurred on the outskirts of Antalya, Turkey, on Friday, leading to one fatality and seven injuries. This shocking event left numerous passengers suspended in mid-air after one of the cable cars collided with a pole and broke open, sending its occupants tumbling towards the rocky terrain below.

After the accident, more than 150 people found themselves trapped high above the ground.

Turkish search and rescue teams promptly got to work, with an incredible 607 personnel and 10 helicopters participating in a dramatic 23-hour operation. This monumental effort succeeded in rescuing all 174 stranded passengers by Saturday.

Passenger accounts revealed that the ordeal was terrifying. For example, Istanbul resident Hatice Polat, rescued after seven grueling hours, described how the cable car performed a series of flips when the power went out.

“The night was awful, we were very scared. There were children with us, they passed out,” Polat said. “It was torture being up there for seven hours. It is swaying every second, you’re constantly in fear … It was very traumatic, I don’t know how we’ll get over this trauma.”

It was reported that a 54-year-old Turkish citizen died during the ordeal, and of those injured, six were Turkish nationals and one was a citizen of Kyrgyzstan.

All injured individuals, including two children, were rescued by Coast Guard helicopters.

A gripping video released by the Turkish Defense Ministry depicted the dramatic mid-air rescue of a passenger by a rescuer attached to a cable wire from a helicopter.

Managed by the Antalya Metropolitan Municipality, the cable car ride is popular among tourists seeking to enjoy the breathtaking views of Antalya city and the Mediterranean Sea.

However, this nine-minute ride from the beach to a mountaintop over 2,000 feet high turned into a nightmare for the passengers affected by the accident.

The Antalya Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office is now conducting an investigation into this tragic event. A team composed of mechanical and electrical engineers, along with health and safety experts, has been tasked with determining the cause of the accident.

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