The Gulmarg Gondola, Asia’s highest aerial tramway in North Kashmir’s Baramulla district near the LoC and a major tourist attraction visited by thousands every week, was closed on Monday for inspection and maintenance work. Officials said services would remain suspended till September 17.
A tree, reportedly struck by lightning, fell on the ropeway, causing it to recoil violently and leaving passengers in two cabins with fatal injuries. The cable car suffered a snag on May 24, leaving more than 300 tourists stranded mid-air for hours in 65 cabins and prompting a massive seven-hour, multi-agency rescue operation involving teams of the J&K Cable Car Corporation, Army, police and other agencies. In January 2025, another snag halted the cable car, leaving several tourists stranded mid-air for a couple of hours. In June 2017, the Gulmarg Gondola met with an accident that killed seven people, including four tourists from Delhi.
An official of the J&K Cable Car Corporation said the shutdown was part of routine maintenance and inspection work to ensure visitors’ safety.
