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70 stranded in NYC cable cars
19/04/2006 10:03 - (SA)
New York - Dozens of people in two cable cars were left hanging hundreds of metres above the East River for hours on Tuesday when the tramway system lost power because of a mechanical problem.
Both cars of the Roosevelt Island Tramway, which shuttles commuters and tourists between Manhattan and nearby Roosevelt Island, stalled at about 17:15 on Tuesday, stranding about 70 people, said Herb Berman, president of the agency that operates the system. No injuries were reported.
A slow-moving, diesel-powered rescue basket that holds about 10 people shuttled up to the cars, and two police officers began plucking passengers from the cars to take them back to the island.
Police, who delivered food, water and nappies to the passengers, said the effort would take several hours.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg said the rescue effort was going smoothly. At least two groups of passengers had been brought down.
"It does seem to be working exactly the way it was designed," he said.
Children, babies among the stranded
About a dozen of those stranded were children or babies, Berman said. He did not know what caused the mechanical failure.
The tramcars - which offer breathtaking views of the city - were still stalled after midnight while engineers worked to restore power.
One of the tramcars had 46 passengers plus an operator. The other had about 20 passengers and an operator, police said.
Rescue operation
On the ground, crowds gathered to watch the rescue. George Teodorescu said he spoke to his father, one of the stranded operators, by cellphone.
"It didn't sound like anyone's being uncivil or anything," he said.
Robbyn Maier said her 12-year-old son, Dax, was going to Roosevelt Island to play tennis when he got stuck. She talked to him by cellphone.
"He's like a trooper through it all," she said.
Once safely on the ground, Dax Maier said he told himself not to look down while being rescued. The mood in his car was almost festive, he said, with people singing and telling jokes.
"Sometimes you can find great people in New York," he said.
Only commuter cable car system in US
Lynn Krogh, a spokesperson for Governor George Pataki, said the state Department of Labour would conduct a full investigation and review of the incident and the tram before service was allowed to resume.
The tram system, which opened in 1976, is the only commuter cable car system in North America, according to the Roosevelt Island Operating Corp. website.
The system has been featured in such movies as Spider-Man and City Slickers.
Roosevelt Island, which lies in the East River between Manhattan and Queens, is about 3km long and 240 metres wide. About 10 000 people live on the island, which also is accessible by bridge and subway.
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