300 Tourists Rescued After Gulmarg Gondola Technical Issue Sparks Panic

What began as a scenic cable car ride over the snow-covered peaks of Jammu and Kashmir's Gulmarg turned into a terrifying ordeal for nearly 300 tourists on Sunday after the famed Gulmarg Gondola service suffered a sudden technical breakdown, leaving visitors stranded mid-air for hours.

A massive multi-agency rescue operation involving the Army, Jammu and Kashmir Police, paramilitary forces and Civil Defence teams was launched immediately to evacuate tourists trapped inside multiple chair cars suspended above the mountainous terrain.

Officials said the technical snag occurred around 1 pm, disrupting operations in the first phase of the Gulmarg Gondola service in north Kashmir's premier tourist resort.

"A sudden technical fault hit the operations in the first phase of the Gulmarg cable car," a senior official of the Gulmarg Development Authority said.

The first phase of the Gondola runs from the Gulmarg bowl to Kangdori, while the second phase extends up to Apharwat Peak at an altitude of nearly 4,000 metres.

Visuals from the spot showed tourists stranded mid-air as rescue teams worked to safely bring them down amid growing panic and anxiety.

Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary was among the senior officials who rushed to the spot to supervise rescue operations.

On the instructions of the Chief Minister, Hon'ble Deputy Chief Minister @Surinderch55 is in Gulmarg personally overseeing the rescue operation following the temporary stoppage of the Gondola service due to a technical fault. The local Hon'ble MLA @FarooqShah_JKNC is also on site… pic.twitter.com/btx9sosnqE

— Office of Chief Minister, J&K (@CM_JnK) May 25, 2026

Union Home Minister Amit Shah praised the rescue teams for the successful evacuation of all stranded tourists.

Applause to India's disaster response forces for safely rescuing 300 tourists stranded mid-air in cable cars in Gulmarg, Kashmir. The disaster response teams comprising the SDRF, NDRF, Army personnel, local police, and the administration swung into action and rescued all the…

— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) May 25, 2026

Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said they were closely monitoring the situation and had directed all available resources to ensure the safe evacuation of tourists.

Authorities said the exact cause of the technical snag is yet to be ascertained.

The Gulmarg Gondola, regarded as Asia's highest cable car project, is one of Kashmir's biggest tourist attractions, offering panoramic views of snow-clad Himalayan peaks at elevations exceeding 13,000 feet.