Four tourists were among those who got trapped in a sky dining tourist attraction near Kerala’s popular hill station, Munnar, after the crane that hoisted them to a height of 120 feet developed a technical glitch.
The four are members of a family from Kannur district. The family and staff members of Southern Skies Aerodynamics, which runs the tourist attraction, were eventually rescued by fire and safety officials.
The incident took place at noon, when the crane lifted the family into the sky. It got stuck in mid-air after its sensors developed a technical glitch.
An official said the crane has a lifting capacity of 40 tonnes and that the sky dining facility can lift and accommodate 16 people at a time. The trapped persons were brought down using a rappelling system, which helps them climb down a rope that is fastened at the top.
According to a member of staff who spoke to the media, there was no panic when the glitch occurred. She said they were trained to deal with such situations.
News agency PTI reported that a fire official said the restaurant management did not seek assistance from the fire and rescue service, but that units from Munnar and Adimali were dispatched after reports of the incident emerged.
An officer from Adimali police station said the management also did not inform the police, and that it was residents who alerted authorities, PTI reported.
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Locals said that the tourists had been stranded for around two hours since 1.30 pm.
The sky dinin facility was opened in November last year and turned into a new tourist attraction in the hill station.