Dramatic Rescue: Tourists Stranded 150 Feet Above Ground in Kerala Sky-Dining Restaurant After Crane Malfunction

A fire department official reported that the restaurant management failed to request assistance from fire and rescue services.

Idukki:

On Friday near Anachal, four tourists, including two children, found themselves stranded approximately 150 feet above the ground when a crane operating a 'sky-dining' restaurant experienced a malfunction.

The group remained trapped for more than two hours until fire and rescue personnel arrived at the location around 4 pm after becoming aware of the situation through news reports. The rescue team successfully brought the four-member family to safety.

Television footage showed rescue personnel climbing ropes to reach the suspended restaurant.

The rescuers first brought down the two children and their mother, followed by the father and a female staff member from the restaurant. By approximately 4:30 pm, all four tourists and the staff member had been safely evacuated from the suspended structure.

The staff member informed television channels that there was no panic during the incident as they had received proper training to manage such emergencies. She mentioned that the family was visiting from Kozhikode.

According to a fire official, although the restaurant management did not request assistance from fire and rescue services, units from Munnar and Adimali were dispatched after reports about the incident surfaced.

An officer from the Adimali police station stated that the management also failed to inform the police about the incident, and it was local residents who alerted authorities to the situation.

Locals reported that the tourists had been stranded since approximately 1:30 pm.

The official added that the crane's hydraulic system appears to have malfunctioned, leaving the restaurant suspended more than a hundred feet above the ground.

The official noted that the 'sky-dining' experience is offered as part of the adventure tourism initiatives in the hill district.