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Passengers rescued after German cable car collision leaves dozens stranded in mid-air
Dozens of people have been rescued after they were left suspended in mid-air as a cable car in Germany hit a support pillar
German fire crews evacuate trapped passengers from suspended cable cars that run over the river Rhine after a gondola ran into a support pillar in Cologne, Germany, 30 July 2017Image copyrightEPA Image caption Fire crews use a crane to evacuate trapped passengers as high as 40m in the air
Up to 76 people were rescued from cable cars suspended over the river Rhine in Cologne, Germany on Sunday afternoon after a cable car crashed into a support pillar, leaving passengers stranded.
Fire crews and rescue teams in Cologne used a crane to reach the trapped passengers, some of them said to have been as high as 40 metres.
German media reported that rescue teams in Cologne had practised for an incident on the gondola just a week ago.
A pregnant woman and a man were slightly injured in the rescue mission. No other injuries were reported.
Public transportation authorities for the city in North-Rhine-Westphalia state said 32 cable cars were operating when the incident occurred. An official cause has not been announced, but there was strong wind at the time.
The collision took place at around 3.30pm.
The cable cars in Cologne are a popular means of transport, connecting the zoo to the Rheinpark across the river. The system remained close on Sunday evening as officials worked to establish the cause.
