174 people stranded in the air are rescued, almost a day after a fatal cable car accident in Turkey

The final 174 people stranded in cable cars high above a mountain in southern Turkey were safely rescued on Saturday, nearly 23 hours after one pod hit a pole and burst open, resulting in one fatality and seven injuries when they fell to the rocks below.

Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya confirmed the successful conclusion of the rescue operation on Saturday afternoon.

A total of 607 search and rescue personnel and 10 helicopters participated in the operation, including teams from Turkey’s emergency response agency, AFAD, the Coast Guard, firefighting units, and mountain rescue teams from various regions of Turkey. Helicopters equipped with night-vision capabilities continued the rescue efforts throughout the night.

The individuals had been stranded on the Tunektepe cable car near the Mediterranean city of Antalya since 5:30 p.m. on Friday when the accident occurred.

Hatice Polat, an Istanbul resident, and her family were rescued seven hours into the ordeal. Speaking to the Anadolu agency, she described how the power outage caused the pod to flip several times, leading to a night of fear and trauma, especially for the children among them.

The deceased, identified as a 54-year-old Turkish man, and the injured, including two children and six Turkish citizens along with one Kyrgyz national, were promptly rescued by Coast Guard helicopters and transported for medical treatment. Images circulated in Turkish media depicted the damaged car dangling from dislodged cables on the mountainside while medical personnel attended to the injured.

Yerlikaya also mentioned that 13 people rescued from other cars were taken to hospitals for precautionary checkups.

The incident occurred on the final day of a three-day public holiday in Turkey marking the end of Ramadan, a time when families often visit coastal resorts.

The cable car route transports tourists from Konyaalti beach to a restaurant and observation platform atop the 618-meter (2,010-foot) Tunektepe peak, operated by Antalya Metropolitan Municipality. The cable car line, established in 2017, undergoes thorough inspections annually, with routine checks conducted throughout the year.

The Antalya Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office has initiated an investigation, assigning an expert commission comprising mechanical and electrical engineers, as well as health and safety experts, to determine the cause of the accident.