Jharkhand ropeway accident: All stranded tourists rescued, three lives lost

All the tourists trapped in cable cars in Jharkhand's Deoghar district have been rescued, while one more person has fallen off a helicopter when she was being winched up, taking the death toll in the incident to three, officials said on Tuesday. Fourteen of the remaining 15 tourists, who were trapped mid-air on a ropeway at Trikut hills for around 40 hours, were rescued by Indian Air Force helicopters, bringing an end to the operations.

"Of the remaining 15 people trapped in cable cars, 14 have been rescued while a woman fell off the chopper during the course of rescue operation," Additional Director General of Police R K Mallick told PTI from the spot over phone. Deoghar Civil Surgeon C K Shahi said that the woman, identified as 60-year-old Shobha Devi, has been declared dead on being taken to a hospital. Mallick said that the rescued people have been sent to hospital, where they will be examined.

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The rescue operations have ended after more than 60 people stuck on the ropeway following a collision between cable cars due to technical snag on Sunday were evacuated with the help of two IAF helicopters. Three people have died so far, including two tourists who fell to their deaths from helicopters on Monday and Tuesday during botched rescue attempts, while 12 injured people are undergoing treatment at hospitals.

The rescue operation was being conducted jointly by the IAF, Army, Indo-Tibetan Border Police, National Disaster Response Force and the district administration. Food and water were supplied to the stranded people using drones. Chief Minister Hemant Soren has announced a high-level probe into the incident. "The state government is keeping a close watch on the situation," Soren said.

Governor Ramesh Bais has expressed deepest condolences to the families of the deceased and prayed for speedy recovery of the injured people. The Trikut ropeway, according to the Jharkhand Tourism Department, is India's highest vertical ropeway. It is around 766-metre long.

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