A pine tree fell on a ropeway in the Indian-controlled part of Kashmir on Sunday, killing seven people inside a car that snapped from the cable and plunged some 30 meters, local police reported. The accident also left 100 people stranded in other cars.
The tragedy occurred in the disputed Kashmir region’s Gulmarg area, a popular ski resort that attracts many tourists in the summer season as well.
A family visiting from New Delhi with two children, as well as three locals, including two guides, were in the car when it fell, police spokesman Imtiyaz Hussain said, adding that four people had also been injured, one of whom is in critical condition.
The accident left some 100 people stranded in other cars along the ropeway before service was restored, Hussain said.
The police said the fatal malfunction was caused by a pine tree that fell onto the cables after being uprooted by strong winds.
The cable car is one of Gulmarg’s top attractions. The incident is the first of its kind since it opened in 1998, the police stressed. The gondola service is the second-highest in the world, taking passengers up to a height of 4,200 meters (137,000ft) above sea level.