They will be remembered on New Years Eve. Twenty-one employees of two restaurants, located atop Sandia Peak in New Mexico, were stranded overnight from Jan. 31 to Jan. 1 in two gondola lifts.
Perched at nearly 3,200 meters in height, they could not be rescued until early morning.
According to ABC News, the emergency services were able to deliver water, food and survival blankets to the travelers while they were released.
It was because of freezing temperatures that the Sandia Peak aerial tram got stuck in the middle of the race at around 10 p.m. local time.
Difficult weather conditions
On Instagram, some makeshift passengers have posted messages and videos to reassure their loved ones. “I have been stuck in the tram since 9 pm… the rescue is coming soon”, commented one of them, with photos of these comrades.
The rescue operation was broadcast live on the County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page. “We have often trained for scenarios like this,” Sheriff spokeswoman Jayme Fuller said to reassure the families of the passengers.
The management of the cable car line and altitude establishments has also specified that the facilities will remain closed over the next few days, due to bad weather conditions.
