Tourists, Staff Stranded in Munnar “Sky Dining” Restaurant; Rescued

Thiruvananthapuram: Five people, including two children and a ward staff, were trapped at a “sky food” restaurant in Anachal, Munnar in Kerala’s Idukki district, for over two hours before they were rescued by fire brigade personnel on Friday.

They were suspended 120 meters above the ground after the crane lifting the dining platform malfunctioned. The rescue effort took nearly two hours, with fire personnel climbing ropes to reach the platform and trapped people. First two children and a woman were lowered to the ground, followed by a man and a staff member.

The sky dining restaurant, which was opened a few months ago, is located at an altitude of 120 meters and is operated by a private company. It was launched as part of the adventure tourism promotion initiative in Idukki district.

Diners are lifted approximately 120 meters above the ground using a crane, where they spend approximately half an hour enjoying the experience. The platform can carry up to 15 people at a time and offers spectacular aerial views of the hilltop station.

However, on Friday, the hydraulic arm malfunction prevented the platform from being lowered.

Firefighters from Munnar were dispatched to the scene to assist in the rescue efforts. It is alleged that management did not initially inform police or fire personnel about the situation. After citizens reported the situation to the police, rescue teams were dispatched to the scene.

Company staff maintained that there was no need to panic as they were trained to deal with such situations.

Regional officials said that the crane pulling the platform up got stuck due to a technical glitch. A large crowd gathered near the area watched with concern as fire personnel rescued the tourists one by one with ropes.