Tourists, Staff Stranded in Munnar Sky Dining Restaurant; Rescued
The sky dining restaurant, inaugurated a few months ago, sits at an elevation of 120 feet and is run by a private firm
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Five people, including two children and a service staff member, were stranded at a "sky dining" restaurant in Anachal, Munnar, Idukki district of Kerala for over two hours, before being rescued by fire force personnel on Friday.
They were left hanging 120 feet above the ground after the crane lifting the dining platform malfunctioned. The rescue took nearly two hours, with fire force personnel climbing ropes to reach the platform and the stranded individuals. The two children and a woman were brought down first, followed by the man and the staff member.
The sky dining restaurant, inaugurated a few months ago, sits at an elevation of 120 feet and is run by a private firm. It was launched as part of an adventure tourism promotion initiative in Idukki district.
Diners are lifted about 120 feet above the ground using a crane, where they spend around half an hour enjoying the experience. The platform can hold up to 15 people at a time and offers a stunning aerial view of the hill station.
However, on Friday the hydraulic lever failure prevented the platform from being lowered.
Fire force units were dispatched from Munnar to the incident site to assist in the rescue operations. It is alleged that the management initially failed to inform the police or fire force personnel about the situation. Residents alerted the police, after which rescue teams were sent to the site.
Company staff maintained that there was no cause for panic, as they were trained to handle such situations.
According to district officials, the crane pulling the platform upwards got stuck due to a technical snag. A large crowd gathered near the site, watching anxiously as fire force personnel rescued the tourists one by one using ropes.