Haifa Cable Car Strands 30 Passengers for Two Hours

By אור רביד

Translated & summarized from Mako by baba

CenterCharged tone

Hebrew · 10 newsrooms covering

Around 30 people were stranded for nearly two hours on Haifa's cable car on Thursday due to a technical malfunction. Four passengers received treatment for anxiety from paramedics. Emergency services prepared for a complex rescue operation before the cable car resumed operation and passengers were evacuated safely. The incident occurred shortly after a rescue drill was conducted on the same cable cars.

The story in 5 lines · by baba

Approximately 30 passengers were stranded for nearly two hours on Haifa's cable car.
Four passengers were treated for anxiety by Magen David Adom paramedics.
Emergency services prepared for a complex rescue operation during the incident.
The cable car malfunction was resolved, and passengers were safely evacuated.
The incident happened less than 48 hours after a similar rescue drill.

Haifa Cable Car Strands 30 Passengers for Two Hours — Editorial illustration generated by baba News, not a photograph of the event.

Approximately 30 passengers were stranded for nearly two hours on Haifa's cable car on Thursday due to an unexplained malfunction. Emergency services, including firefighters and Haifa municipality personnel, arrived at the scene and prepared for complex rescue operations of the passengers suspended high above the ground. The issue was resolved, and the cable car cabins began moving again after almost two hours. Four individuals experienced anxiety and received treatment from Magen David Adom (MDA) paramedics.

Passengers described the experience as terrifying, with one student, Oved, stating, "The attraction turned into a nightmare, we were left hanging in the air hundreds of meters high." He recounted the initial belief that it was a brief stop, which turned into a prolonged period of worry as they remained suspended. Another couple, Yaakov and Leah, who were visiting Haifa for sightseeing, shared similar sentiments, describing the situation as a frightening ordeal that turned their enjoyable outing into a nightmare.

During the wait for rescue, an incident command post was established to manage the situation and coordinate efforts among the various forces on the ground, including the special "Lahav" unit, MDA teams, and the municipal "Oz" police unit. City Manager David Luria was present at the scene to closely monitor the rescue preparations. Mayor Yona Yahav was kept informed and instructed municipal officials to provide full support to the emergency forces.

Notably, the incident occurred less than 48 hours after the Haifa fire station conducted a special high-altitude rescue drill involving these same cable car cabins. The operating company worked to resolve the technical fault, after which the system resumed operation and the passengers were safely evacuated.