Haifa Cable Car Strands 30 Passengers for Two Hours

By אור רביד

Translated & summarized from N12 by baba

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Hebrew · 10 newsrooms covering

Around 30 passengers were stranded for nearly two hours on Haifa's cable car on Thursday due to a malfunction believed to be caused by a broken pulley. Four people were treated for anxiety by MDA. Rescue operations were conducted by emergency services and the operating company, with the system resuming operation after the passengers were safely evacuated. The incident occurred shortly after a similar rescue drill was performed.

The story in 6 lines · by baba

30 passengers were stranded for nearly two hours on Haifa's cable car due to a malfunction.
The cable car malfunction is believed to have been caused by a broken pulley on a cabin.
Four passengers were treated for anxiety by Magen David Adom (MDA) emergency medical teams.
Fire and rescue services, along with the operating company, conducted complex rescue operations.
The incident occurred less than 48 hours after a similar rescue drill was held.
Passengers described the experience as frightening and a "nightmare."

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. Fire and rescue services, along with 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) emergency medical teams.

Passengers described the experience as a nightmare, with one student, Abd, stating, "I finished studying and all I wanted was to get home. Suddenly the cable car stopped and we were left hanging in the air. You look down, realize how high you are, and start thinking how they will even get you out of there. It was a very frightening experience." Tourists Yaakov and Leah, who were visiting Haifa, shared similar sentiments, calling the attraction a "nightmare" and expressing concern as they remained suspended hundreds of meters in the air.

The malfunction is believed to have been caused by a broken pulley on one of the cabins. The system's safety mechanism automatically detected the fault and halted the cabins to prevent a collision. This sudden stop trapped the passengers, who waited for over two hours for rescue. While emergency forces were alerted, the operating company's teams also conducted rescue operations, which concluded around 8:00 PM. The faulty cabin was then detached for inspection.

During the wait, an incident command post was established to manage the situation and coordinate between the various forces on site, including the special unit "Lehava," MDA teams, and the municipal police unit "Oz." The Director General of the Municipality, David Luria, visited the scene to monitor the rescue preparations, and Mayor Yona Yahav was kept informed, instructing municipal officials to provide full assistance to the emergency forces.

Notably, the incident occurred less than 48 hours after the Haifa fire station conducted a special high-altitude rescue drill on these same cable car cabins. Firefighters were called to the actual emergency shortly after practicing such a scenario.