One killed and 184 stranded midair after cable car collapses in Turkey | Turkey

Turkey

Helicopters called in to rescue people after accident outside Turkish resort city of Antalya

AFP in Istanbul

Fri 12 Apr 2024 17.32 EDT

One person has been killed, seven injured and nearly 200 stranded in midair when a pylon supporting cable cars collapsed outside the Turkish resort city of Antalya.

Helicopters equipped with night vision were called in to rescue 184 people still stranded in the cable car system’s cabins, Antalya mayor Muhittin Bocek said in a statement late on Friday.

“Our specialised teams are here. God willing, we will rescue them all in a short time,” Bocek said.

The death and injuries happened when one of the cabins in the cable car system at Sarisu-Tunektepe plunged into a rocky area as the pylon collapsed, Turkey’s interior minister Ali Yerlikaya said.

Five people who had been in the cabin were evacuated by helicopter, while two were still waiting to be moved, he posted on X.

About 110 emergency personnel had been sent to the site of the collapse, Yerlikaya said, with more specialist mountaineers being flown in from elsewhere in Turkey.

A group of 10 opposition MPs were also headed to the scene to “investigate the accident in detail,” said Özgür Özel, chair of the opposition Republican People’s party.