Cable car breakdown forces more than 70 tourists to ‘abseil’ to safety in Tenerife

MORE than 70 tourists were forced to ‘abseil’ 250 feet from a broken down cable car on Tenerife’s Mount Teide.

The nail-biting rescue operation took place on Wednesday (March 15) afternoon as emergency services set up a pulley system to get those trapped back on the ground.

One by one, they were lowered to safety during a four-hour rescue operation.

A further 200 people were left stranded at the top of the mountain when the cable cars stopped, but the majority were later escorted down the mountain by foot.

A group of people with reduced mobility were forced to spend the night in a refuge at the summit, but were given food and blankets for the night.

A spokesperson for the cable car company said the emergency system had stopped the shuttles, but information as to why is not clear as of yet.

No one was injured during the events, however several people were treated for shock and altitude sickness.