One killed, 20 hurt after ‘traumatic’ cable car accident leaves over 170 people stranded in the air

· New York Post

One person was killed and at least 20 hurt after a cable car accident in a resort town in southern Turkey which left another 174 people stranded in the air, some for nearly 24 hours.

The families left hovering above the ground overnight near the Mediterranean city of Antalya were finally rescued on Saturday, according to Turkish officials.

A 54-year-old Turkish man was killed in the initial incident Friday, when one of the gondola pods hit a pole, burst open and sent eight people plummeting to the rocks below.

Multiple people were injured when a cable car crashed into a pole in southern Turkey and several others were later sent to the hospital following their rescue. AP

Harrowing photos showed people sprawled across the ground below the attraction, covered in jackets of emergency workers as rescue operations continued.

The rescue efforts took place throughout the night but about 43 people were still left stranded until Saturday, according to the BBC.

“The night was awful, we were very scared,” Istanbul resident Hatice Polat told a state-run news agency.

“There were children with us, they passed out. It was torture being up there for seven hours. It is swaying every second, you’re constantly in fear.”

A total of 607 search and rescue personnel and 10 helicopters were involved, including teams from Turkey’s emergency response agency and the Coast Guard, officials said. twitter/AliYerlikaya

Polat said the power went out and then the pod she was riding in flipped several times. “It was very traumatic,” she said.

The gondola ride takes visitors from Konyaalti beach to a restaurant and viewing platform at the summit of the the Tunektepe hills.

The attraction is considered a “must-do” in the city, and gives panoramic views of the coastal city and Mediterranean Sea beyond it.

Many families had flocked to the coast on Friday to celebrate the last day of a three-day public holiday marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan.

The gondola ride is considered a “must-do” in Antalya and was visited this week by those celebrating the end of Ramadan. twitter/AliYerlikaya

A total of 607 search and rescue personnel and 10 helicopters were involved in the emergency response, according to officials.

Helicopters with night-vision capabilities rescued people throughout the night until the last group was saved on Saturday.

The prosecutor’s office in Antalya has launched an investigation, according to authorities.

With Post wires