Dozens trapped after Rotorua gondola cable snapped

7.30pm

Up to 90 people, many of them children, were trapped in mid-air for several hours today after a cable snapped on the Rotorua Skyline gondola.

Eighteen gondola pods were left stranded when a counterweight cable snapped in the main tower around midday today.

Some people had panicked when the pods dropped initially, and there was "some bouncing" until the safety mechanism kicked in, Rotorua Fire Service senior station officer Colin Rolfe said.

Some people suffered minor injuries, One News reported.

Rescued tourists said they had feared they would fall.

Phillip Armstrong said the experience had been frightening.

"I thought we were actually going to come off the cable; I was really petrified and my partner just grabbed onto me for dear life because we actually thought we were going to come down," he told TV3 News.

He said he had been "pissed off" by the whole experience.

Mr Rolfe said Skyline staff and 12 fire officers worked for about four hours to get everyone to the ground.

Those closest to the ground had been rescued using ladders on the backs of the fire appliances. People trapped higher up the hill were brought down by Skyline staff using abseiling harnesses.

Occupational Safety and Health inspectors would be in charge of investigating the cause of the mechanical failure and clearing the ride after repairs were carried out, Mr Rolfe said.

Skyline general manager Neville Nicholson told One News his staff trained "every second week" for such an emergency.

"Everything worked to plan."

Engineers were tonight trying to determine what caused the mechanical failure.

The company had already spoken to OSH and would be conducting an internal inquiry.

Mr Nicholson said it was possible the ride could reopen as early as tomorrow, but safety was the first priority.

At its highest point, the gondola reaches 178m.

Shaken passengers said the rescue took longer than expected.

Suzanne Lockwood, who was on the ride with her children, said fire officers told them they would be down in half an hour.

"Then an hour went by, then two hours and this one started getting a little bit upset," she said about one of her children.

- NZPA