As many as 25 people were rescued while around 20 others were still trapped mid-air in a row of cable cars on Monday, nearly 26 hours after a malfunction of a ropeway in Jharkhand's Trikut Pahar in Deoghar district killed three persons and injured 12 others.

The district administration has only confirmed one death so far _ that of a woman. But local sources maintain that at least two others had died possibly succumbing to injuries later.

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

The ropeway was ferrying 48 tourists at the time of the mishap.

Those who were trapped were being supplied with food and water using drones.

Sandip, who was stuck in a trolley for 19 hours, said, "I feel Baba Baidyanath gave me second life. I can't explain the harrowing experience in a hanging trolley overnight. It was frightening." The trolleys were hanging mid-air at a height of nearly 100 feet.

He said the power of the trolley suddenly went off and it stopped midway. "When I called on the helpline number around 4pm on Sunday, I was told that it stopped due to a technical snag, which was being rectified. I again called around 7 pm. They said the ropeway is not working and they would rescue us using choppers on Monday. We were four people in the trolley and were very scared."

Added Devang Jaipal from West Bengal, "After offering prayer to Baba Baidyanath, I wanted to enjoy nature on this ropeway ride ... who knew that I would be hanging in a trolley for a whole night."

Union Home Minister Amit Shah is keeping an eye on the entire incident, he claimed.  PTI

"With no food and water, we had a sleepless night on Sunday. On Monday, we were given some food and water through drones. Thanks to the NDRF, Indian Airforce and Deoghar administration for saving our lives," he said.

11 rescued in Sunday night

Eleven of the stranded tourists were rescued last night.

The accident which occurred on Sunday around 4 pm, resulted in one death late at night. At least 12 people were injured in a collision among two cable cars , around 20 km from the famous Baba Baidyanth temple of Deoghar town. One of the two cable cars hit a rock and some cables snapped, said local residents.

Expressing sorrow over the incident, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren said rescue and relief operations were being conducted on a war footing. "The government is keeping a close watch on the situation," he said.

"People trapped during the ropeway journey on Trikut mountain under Mohanpur block are being rescued by the combined teams of Air Force, NDRF, Army and ITBP," deputy commissioner Bhajantri said.

Two Air Force choppers have been pressed into service for rescue and relief operations. Officials confirmed that water and food were being provided to the trapped people with the help of drones.

Service launched in 2009

The Trikut ropeway, according to the Jharkhand tourism department, is India's highest vertical ropeway. It is around 800 metre long.

The ropeway service of Trikut Pahar, which began in 2009, is the only such tourist facility in Jharkhand. The three peaks of Trikut hill, said to signify the holy trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh, are a huge draw for tourists from Jharkhand and neighbouring states of Bengal, Odisha and Bihar. The ropeway was launched to ferry pilgrims to the top of the hill, which is a difficult climb on foot as there is no clear-cut pathway.

The highest of the three peaks of Trikut Hills is at 2,470 feet from sea level and around 1,500 feet from the ground. The ropeway takes tourists to the top of the main peak offering a 360 degree view of Deoghar.

Minister promises probe

Health Minister Banna Gupta said an inquiry would be conducted into the incident and that action would be taken against those found guilty of negligence.

The injured people were rescued and hospitalised, Bhajantri said adding that one passenger succumbed to injuries at the accident that occurred due to a fault in the ropeway system.

BJP MP says three dead

Local BJP MP Nishikant Dubey, however, claimed three persons were killed.

Bhajantri along with Deoghar SP Subhash Chandra Jat has been camping at the spot to monitor the rescue and relief operations. The ropeway was being run by a private company. Operators running it fled shortly after the accident.

Raghubar is scathing

BJP vice-president and former Jharkhand chief minister Raghubar Das accused the state government of being inactive even after such a major accident. No minister from the region visited the site, he claimed.

"The government does not care about the lives of the people. The inability to make quick decisions resulted in passengers hanging in the air overnight," Das said.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah is keeping an eye on the entire incident, he claimed. He demanded that the state government provide compensation of Rs 1 crore to the next of kin of the deceased and government job, besides treatment of the injured at government expense.

He also demanded a high-level inquiry into the incident.

Cable car accidents

In 2019, a family of four and three tourist guides died after cables of a ropeway innthe skinresort of Gulmarg snapped.

Another ropeway accident in January of the same year in Jammu had resulted in the death of two workers while work on the new system was still underway.