One person was killed and seven others were injured in a tragic cable car accident in southern Turkey on Friday. The incident occurred at the Tunektepe cable car just outside the city of Antalya, during the busy Eid al-Fitr holiday.
According to reports, a cable car pod hit a pole and burst open, causing the passengers to plummet to the mountainside below. Among the injured were two children, with a total of six Turkish citizens and one Kyrgyz national affected. Efforts to rescue the injured were underway, with five individuals already airlifted off the mountain by helicopter.
The accident left 184 passengers trapped in 25 other cable car pods suspended above the ground. Engineers were working to restart the system, while helicopters equipped with night vision imaging were dispatched to assist in the rescue efforts.
Images from the scene showed the battered car swaying from dislodged cables on the rocky mountain, as medics tended to the wounded. The incident occurred on the final day of a three-day public holiday in Turkey, marking the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
An investigation has been launched by the Antalya Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, with an expert commission assigned to determine the cause of the accident. The cable car, operated by the Antalya Metropolitan Municipality, carries tourists from Konyaalti beach to a restaurant and viewing platform at the summit of the Tunektepe peak.