Rope Car with 28 Pilgrims Dangles in Mid-Air -Wednesday June 5,2013

In a mid-air drama that lasted more than three hours, 28 pilgrims were left dangling some 200 metres above the ground when the ropeway to the famous temple here stopped suddenly due to a technical snag on June 5,2013 Wednesday morning.

The incident happened around 8.00 a.m. between the ground station and the Sri Dhandayuthapaniswamy Hill Temple

13 people were in 4 cabins climbing up to the temple and 15 in the other 4 cabins heading down.

Initially, a rope ladder was fastened to a car to rescue them. Later, the team altered its plan and used cane swing chairs to rescue the pilgrims safely. Later, the pilgrims were sent by a winch to the hill temple for darshan

A 20-member medical team including 13 doctors from the Palani Government Hospital reached the spot with equipment and medicines. Some pilgrims lay on cabin floor. Glucose and drinking water were supplied to pilgrims. Milk was also lifted to feed trapped children

The temple authorities suspended the ropeway services indefinitely.

Reason for the problem
The metal shaft that regulated the ropeway’s speed suddenly broke, causing it to come to a grinding halt and preventing upward and downward movement


Note
In August 2007 - 4 pilgrims were killed as 2 cabins of the rope car slipped and fell into a 300-metre-deep gorge