Cable Car Accident in Medellin, Colombia, Leaves One Dead and 21 Injured, 250 Stuck

A cable car lays on the ground after it fell in Medellin, Colombia, Wednesday, June 26, 2024.

Around 250 people were left trapped on a cable car service in Medellin, Colombia, after an accident on the line left one person dead and at least 21 injured.

The Metrocable car in Medellin collapsed onto a taxi waiting below, seriously injuring the driver and the 11 passengers inside. The deceased has been identified as 49-year-old Jhon Jairo Londono.

At least one person was killed and 21 others injured when the cable car collapsed while approaching a station, Wednesday, June 26, 2024

The driver of the taxi was also injured, and pictures from the scene show the smashed cable car next to the yellow taxi. The other 20 injured people, including 10 from inside the cable car, were treated at the scene and in the hospital. An emergency worker remarked that such an incident had "never happened" before.

Police and firefighters stand by a cable car lying on the ground after it fell in Medellin, Colombia, Wednesday, June 26, 2024.

Authorities reported that the cable car collapsed while approaching the station, although it is not immediately clear how high the cable car was when it fell.

The cable car system, Metro de Medellín, is essential for transporting people to and from some of the city's low-income neighborhoods situated on steep hills.