full screen The picture shows the cable car in Quito in 2005. Stock photography. Photo: Dolores Ochoa R/AP/TT
75 people have been rescued after being stuck on one of the world’s highest tourist cable cars in the Ecuadorian capital Quito for almost ten hours.
After an operation involving emergency services and police, everyone is back on the ground – unharmed, local authorities say.
The cause of the stationary cable car was an electrical fault.
The majority were rescued from the top terminal of the cable car, which is at an altitude of around 4,000 meters above sea level. 17 people were rescued from gondolas stuck on the line. Another ten came down to the ground after the system was restarted.
The cable car travels between two terminals that are 2.5 kilometers apart. The lowest terminal is at 3,100 meters above sea level.