After the cable car accident in the southern Turkish coastal city of Antalya, which left one dead and several injured, all of the people who were last stuck in the cabins were rescued. The last remaining of the 184 people initially stranded in the air was rescued on Saturday, said the head of the Afad disaster control authority, Okay Memis. This ended a rescue operation that lasted almost 24 hours. Investigations into the cause of the accident were continuing.
The accident occurred on Friday evening: According to the state news agency Anadolu, one of the masts of the cable car fell – a cabin hit it and fell into rocky terrain. One person died, several were injured and more than 100 were initially trapped in the cabins and remained at altitude for hours.
13 arrests in connection with accident
More than 600 emergency services were involved in the rescue operation. Among other things, the rescuers rappelled a basket from a helicopter to the cabins, into which people had to climb, as can be seen in photos. The television station Tele 1 showed how a child was brought to safety from one of the cabins. A woman burst into tears and kissed the ground after being rescued, videos showed.
According to Anadolu, the cable car was particularly busy because of the sugar festival at the end of the fasting month of Ramadan. The investigation into the cause of the accident continues. As Turkish Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc announced on X, arrest warrants have been issued against 13 people who are suspected of being partly responsible for the accident. Employees of the cable car operator were also among the suspects. The scene of the accident is also being examined by experts. According to a preliminary report, the fasteners, among other things, were not adequately maintained, as the DHA news agency reported.
According to the operator, the cable car has been in operation since 2017 and consists of 36 cabins. It transports its guests to the summit of Tünektepe at a height of 605 meters. The approximately 1.7 kilometer long journey takes around nine minutes. There is space for six people in a cabin. 1200 people can be transported per hour. From the summit there is a view of Antalya and the Mediterranean. Antalya is a popular tourist destination.
