Haifa Cable Car Rescue: Dozens Freed After Hours-Long Stoppage

Dozens of passengers were rescued from Haifa's cable car system after a prolonged stoppage left them stranded high above the city for over three hours. The reason for the malfunction that halted the cable cars remains unclear. Fire and Rescue Services, in coordination with the Haifa Municipality, launched a complex rescue operation involving specialized high-altitude rescue teams from the "Lahav" unit. These teams worked to extract passengers one by one from the cabins suspended on the cables. Approximately 30 passengers were among the last to be rescued. Ironically, the Haifa Fire and Rescue station had conducted a similar high-altitude rescue drill simulating a cable car evacuation just days prior to the incident. The operation saw the deployment of Magen David Adom (MDA) teams and the Haifa Municipality's "Oz" urban policing unit. An incident command post was established to manage the operation and coordinate the various rescue forces. The Director General of the Haifa Municipality, David Luria, was present at the scene to oversee the rescue efforts. The Mayor of Haifa, Yona Yahav, was kept updated and instructed municipal officials to provide full support to the emergency services.