Six Dead as Pavagadh Ropeway Cable Snaps Near Base Tower

Jayaben Mali was inconsolable as she recalled her final phone call with her only son, Suresh Mali, a 30-something florist who supplied flowers to the Mahakalika Temple atop Pavagadh Hill. Hours before the Saturday accident that claimed six lives, Suresh assured her he had delivered flowers from Vadodara and would return soon. "I tried calling again, but his phone was switched off after ringing once," a distraught Jayaben told reporters. The cargo ropeway's cable snapped around 3 pm, sending the trolley crashing near the base tower amid dense clouds, highlighting vulnerabilities in such systems at the 1,471-foot-high pilgrimage site, which sees millions of visitors annually.

A ropeway operator described the sudden chaos: "Visibility was poor due to clouds; the trolley just broke—I couldn't see what happened." Panchmahal Superintendent of Police Haresh Dudhat confirmed the wire snap as the prima facie cause, with Forensic Science Laboratory teams probing whether the trolley was ascending or descending. Local MLA Jaydratsinh Parmar noted it was carrying materials uphill when it hit a tower, killing all aboard.

The victims included Suresh, two labourers, and operators Mohammad Anwar Mahmad Sharif Khan and Balwant Singh Dhaniram from Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district, whose remains will be repatriated. Panchmahal Collector Ajay Dahiya said the deceased comprised two operators, two labourers, and two others, with the impact near the first tower. The public ropeway had been closed for two days due to inclement weather, and pilgrims typically climb 2,000 steps or use cable cars to reach the 800-meter-high temple.

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This incident underscores safety concerns at Pavagadh, a revered Kali temple site rising from Champaner, where monsoon conditions often exacerbate risks. Police and fire teams conducted rescue operations as calls grew for enhanced maintenance and regulatory oversight.

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