Horror vid shows tourists stranded 10,000ft up in broken cable car after lightning strike leaves it swaying for 4 HOURS
THIS is the terrifying moment tourists are left stranded in a swaying cable car for four hours.
Chilling footage shows the broken gondola dangling 10,000ft up in the air in the Tofane mountain range in northern Italy.
In a heart-stopping clip, the trolley can be seen suddenly sliding down the cable before the emergency brake kicked in and prevented a catastrophe.
The mountain cable car reportedly detached and was left swinging around after a lighting bolt blew its electrical fuse.
30 tourists were left helplessly sitting on board the Freccia nel Cielo cable car as it was thrown side to side in the howling winds.
The horrified people prayed for their lives and made their “final phone calls” as the trolley tossed them about.
Around 20 of the trapped passengers were foreigners.
The cable car had been ready to leave a station at 10,643 feet when it unexpectedly broke away on July 24 at around 4 p.m.
The gondola was then left stuck for four hours before it was slowly winched back to the station.
One passenger, from Rome, said: “We all started to think about death.
“Some people were making video calls to their relatives, some were crying, my daughter was shaking.
“The cable car then started up and we freefell into the void again.
“This happened three times, even the helpful operator didn’t know what to say anymore.
“He tried to keep control, but it wasn’t easy for him.
“He was very good, though.”
But facility manager, Roberto Rimoldi said: “They couldn’t have hit the rocks or the station, the system is specifically designed to prevent this from happening.
“The impact felt by the passengers was probably caused by the shock absorbers.
“There was a lot of electricity in the air and the cable car had several sudden stops during the departure phase.
“When it left, the electrical storm blew a fuse and the gondola stopped.”
“I understand the passengers’ fears, but in reality, their lives were never in danger.”
The horrifying ordeal came to an end at around 8pm when the tourists’ feet finally touched the ground.
They were offered dinner as compensation for the scary misadventure.
Another crazy ski lift incident saw ski-goers drenched with a huge plume of freezing water while dangling in the air.
The shocking incident took place at Beech Mountain Ski Resort in North Carolina on January 7, 2022, when a water line ruptured.
Beech Mountain Resort management said the mishap occurred when a guest smashed into a water and air hydrant causing it to burst.
Two visitors were sent to the hospital with minor injuries.