LANGKAWI: Some 300 passengers of the Langkawi SkyCab were trapped in 50 gondola lifts, with 700 others stranded at the peak of Gunung Machinchang station and its midway station, following a technical glitch this evening.
The incident occurred about 6.50pm as the visitors were waiting for their turn to leave the Top Station, located 708m above sea level.
The incident led to an abrupt stop to the SkyCab services with the gondola lifts left suspended along the line.
Kedah Fire and Rescue Department public relations officer Mohamad Mustakim Mukhtar said 16 rescuers and Emergency Medical Relief Services (EMRS) were despatched to the scene after being alerted of the incident at 6.53pm.
“The rescuers are assisting the Langkawi SkyCab staff to carry spare parts to the first station to fix the faulty system. They will have trek up the hill. We expect the process to take between two and three hours,” he said in a statement.
He said the situation was under control.
As of 9pm, the operation was still ongoing, with 89 people rescued, as rescue workers moved the gondolas manually while work to repair the problem continued.