At least one dead and hundreds trapped after cable car calls to the ground in Colombia

A falling cable car killed at least one person and left hundreds trapped.

The transport in the Colombian city of Medellin failed and plunged onto a sidewalk next to a station platform on Wednesday, killing at least one person and injuring 20 others, officials said.

It was not immediately clear if the person who died was on the ground or was a passenger in the gondola-style car, which was part of the city’s public transportation system.

Ten people were in the car when it fell, Medellin Mayor Federico Gutirrez said on the social media platform X.

The translated post read: “Today has been a sad day for everyone in Medellín. Without exception, I know that we have all been very sad about what happened to the Metrocable in the northeastern area. That someone loses their life in these circumstances hurts us as a city.

“From the first moment I have been giving instructions to our @AlcaldiadeMed and @metrodemedellin team, whom I thank for their diligence and sensitivity in the face of this tragedy. I have spoken by telephone with the wife of Jhon Jairo (who lost his life): I reiterate my solidarity with his family and friends. We will accompany you. We remain attentive to the injured and their families.

“All my solidarity. All the people who had been suspended in the cabins were rescued safely. In the next few hours I return to Medellín; I was on an official mission in Madrid invited by the Mario Vargas Llosa Freedom Foundation.

“The Metro company is carrying out all the verifications and evaluations of what happened. We will involve third parties (universities) in the analysis of what happened and thus guarantee more transparency in the investigation. We continue in front.”

A 55-year-old man died of multiple injuries after being admitted to the hospital in Medellin, the hospital said in a statement.

Local officials said the 20 people injured received both medical attention and psychological support.

Some 200 other passengers remained inside 40 of the system’s cablecars while emergency personnel assisted the injured at the scene, city disaster manager Carlos Andrïs Quintero said.

Medellin’s Metrocable runs six lines aimed at serving some of the city’s low-income neighborhoods that are informally built on steep hills.

One of the cablecars hit another cabin during a descending ride and then failed as it approached a station in the city’s northeastern area, Metrocable manager Tomïs Elejalde told reporters

.The cause of the accident was under investigation, officials said.