Four killed in Darjeeling as ropeway snaps

Four tourists, including three women and a child, were killed and 11 others seriously injured when three ropeway cars operating between Sing...

Four tourists, including three women and a child, were killed and 11 others seriously injured when three ropeway cars operating between Singameri and Tukver in Darjeeling hill station of West Bengal detached from the cable and plummetted, police said.

Over 25 other tourists were in for a harrowing time as they virtually hung between life and death for almost four hours on the ropeway. The cable car operators however, managed to bring them back to safety at about 3 pm. When operators at the starting point — North Point — on the outskirts of Darjeeling saw some of them tumbling down, they switched off the power, stalling at least 12 other cars at different point on the cable wire. A total of 15 cars were running at the time.

In a statement, Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacherjee said that enquiry would be conducted by experts. He said the ropeway would remain closed to the public till the completion of the enquiry. Expressing shock over the four deaths, he said instructions had been given for proper treatment of the injured.

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North Point to Tukvar Valley is a three-km ride. The ropeway service is a joint venture project of the West Bengal Forest Department Corporation, a state undertaking, and a Kolkata-based private cable and ropeway company. The service had become inoperative a few years back but the Forest Corporation revived it.

PTI quotes Darjeeling SP Sanjay Chander as saying that the accident occurred when the cable supporting the ropeway cars snapped in between the second and third pillars. The condition of the 11 injured, who were rushed to Darjeeling Sadar hospital, is stated to be serious, the agency reports.

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