Indian Army’s Chinar Corps carried out a seven-hour high-altitude rescue operation to evacuate 320 tourists stranded in 65 gondola cabins after a technical malfunction shut down the Gulmarg ropeway amid heavy rain and strong winds
In a high-altitude emergency operation, the Indian Army’s Chinar Corps, alongside state and national disaster response forces, successfully rescued 320 tourists who were left stranded mid-air after Asia’s highest ropeway suffered a severe technical malfunction on Monday.
The crisis took place at around 1:00 pm when a critical mechanical snag caused the famed Gulmarg Gondola system to grind to a sudden halt. The failure trapped tourists, including children and elderly citizens, inside 65 separate cabins, some of which were dangling nearly 500 feet above the rugged, mountainous terrain.
Heavy rain and high altitudes hamper operations
As word of the system failure reached emergency services, panic gripped the world-renowned ski resort. Compounding the mechanical crisis, the weather in north Kashmir turned severely inclement, with heavy downpours and strong winds lashing the mountain slopes.
Following urgent distress calls from the Jammu and Kashmir Police and the Gondola Management Authority, the Indian Army swiftly mobilised specialized mountaineering units. Highly trained personnel from the Chinar Corps and the Army’s elite High Altitude Warfare School (Haws) rushed to the site to establish an extraction perimeter.
In India, more than 300 tourists were stranded at a height of 150 meters due to a cable car malfunction
A rescue operation in the city of Gulmarg lasted seven hours and was complicated by heavy rainfall in the area. All tourists were successfully evacuated. pic.twitter.com/XhTMA30WgD
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) May 25, 2026
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A massive, multi-agency command network was instantly formed to systematically clear the suspended cabins. Local police and Gulmarg Gondola technical teams initiated initial cabin stabilisations. Post that, 15 teams from the State Disaster Response Force (Sdrf), the National Disaster Response Force (Ndrf), and Indian Army personnel deployed complex technical rope-and-ladder extraction protocols.
While the majority of the 320 rescued tourists were able to walk down the slopes under military escort, emergency teams had to transport 45 individuals on stretchers due to panic, physical exhaustion, or pre-existing health conditions.
Government orders full investigation into safety lapses
The rescue mission concluded on late Monday night after seven hours of intensive efforts, with zero casualties reported.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah praised the rescue teams on social media, applauding their valor, prompt coordination, and technical skill under punishing weather conditions. Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who closely monitored the multi-agency operation alongside Lieutenant Governor Manoj SInha, confirmed that the government would not treat the incident lightly.
The Chief Minister announced that a formal, exhaustive inquiry has been ordered to pinpoint the exact technical trigger behind the ropeway failure. Abdullah warned that strict administrative responsibility will be fixed and punitive action taken if any maintenance lapses or safety protocol violations are uncovered.
To facilitate an unhindered technical audit, the Gulmarg Gondola will remain completely shut down for maintenance, with the tourism department issuing full refunds to all pre-booked travellers.
First Published:
May 26, 2026, 11:50 IST
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