Jharkhand's cable car mishap: ITBP joins rescue operations

New Delhi: The Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) on Monday said that it has deployed 50 security personnel from the 40th Battalion for the ongoing rescue operation in Jharkhand's Deoghar cable car accident.

According to the ITBP officials, the team is equipped with the mountaineering equipment, communication system and has been working in close coordination with National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Indian Air Force and Army personnel.

The officials also said that the ITBP teams have reached the site where 48 people were stuck in 12 ropeway trolleys since Sunday evening. The ITBP personnel have sent water bottles and food through the ropes to the people stuck at lower heights. Rescue operation is slow because these trolleys are stuck at the height of 500 to 600 feet from the ground which are not approachable from the ground, therefore they are being rescued by the IAF chopper.

The NDRF officials informed that two teams have been deployed for the rescue operations and equipped with all necessary equipment. They have been on the site since Monday early morning.

"The rescue operation has been underway, ensuring the safety of the people stuck and hopeful that all will be rescued safely soon," senior NDRF official said here.

According to the NDRF officials, 18 persons have been rescued so far. BJP MP from Jharkhand Nishikant Dubey said that 25 persons had been rescued till 2 p.m. in his tweet.

At least two people were declared dead and several others injured after cable cars in a ropeway collided with each other at the Trikut hills close to Baba Baidyanath Temple in the Deoghar on Sunday evening.

Acting on the request of the state government, the IAF deployed one Mi-17 and one Mi-17 V5 helicopter early in the morning.

Trikut ropeway is one of the highest vertical ropeway with a maximum lens angle of 44 degrees. The ropeway, situated around 20 km from Baba Baidyanath Temple, is around 766-metres-long, while the hill is 392-metres-high. The ropeway has 25 cabins and each can seat four people.