One person died and seven were injured in an accident at the Sarısu Cable Car Station in Antalya on April 12. 174 people who were stranded in 36 cabins were rescued after a 23-hour operation.
It was revealed that the first team to arrive at the scene in just 22 minutes after the accident was the Antalya Provincial Gendarmerie Command Search and Rescue (JAK) Team. The JAK teams climbed the towers with 30 kilograms of equipment and prioritized people in the cabins, especially children, getting one person ready for evacuation in just 2 minutes.
Using ropes to lower those they could from the cabin, and helicopter was used to evacuate those who couldn’t be reached, the JAK teams also conducted drills and equipment checks at the site of the accident. The Commander of the Antalya Provincial Gendarmerie Command JAK Team, Gendarmerie Sergeant Major Mahir Akdemir, stated that the JAK teams are involved in all types of natural or man-made disasters or rescue operations such as earthquakes, avalanches, floods, landslides, building collapses.
Akdemir emphasized that the JAK is a special unit and that they receive regular training throughout the year, conducting technical and material exercises. He mentioned that they rescued 128 people in 2023 alone, intervening in incidents such as fires, floods, disappearances, and being trapped. Major incidents they responded to include the Kahramanmaraş earthquake, forest fires in Antalya, and floods in Kumluca.
Akdemir also described the events that unfolded after the cable car accident, noting that they reached the scene in 22 minutes with their team. He described the passengers’ excitement and relief upon their arrival, as they were anxious to get down and felt secure in the presence of the rescue team. The passengers were seen preparing eagerly and expressed their feelings of safety and gratitude towards the JAK team.
Discussing the risks involved in the cable car rescue operations, Akdemir mentioned the potential for the damaged cable car line to cause another accident and the challenge of safely lowering passengers hanging 50 to 200 meters above the ground. He reassured that they repeatedly checked their methods and equipment to ensure the safety of everyone involved and highlighted that such a large-scale and swift rescue operation in a cable car accident is unprecedented.
