A routine gondola ride went sideways when several cabins piled up against one another in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, creating a mid-air traffic jam.
The Daily Express reported that a malfunction caused the cabins to bunch together, and they hung that way in the air for over an hour, trapping 16 passengers, including four children.
According to the outlet, no injuries were reported, with rescuers lowering passengers to the ground using ropes. An investigation into the accident is underway. Officials suspect that heavy rain and wind caused the malfunction.
Footage from the accident surfaced on Reddit, where commenters weighed in on what looked like an unpleasant detour. Tap or click below to watch the video of the incident.
“I imagine these situations take a good amount of time to resolve,” read one comment. “I’d be that guy that didn’t go to the washroom before getting in.”
“You would be able to hear my screaming across the world,” read another.
According to Poma, the gondola connects Nizhny Novgorod to the industrial city of Bor, crossing over Europe’s longest river, the Volga.
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In operation since 2012, the project was Russia’s first urban gondola. It spans about 12,000 feet and has a capacity of 1,000 people per hour in each direction. Both commuters and tourists use the gondola.
“What used to be a two-hour car trip now takes only 12 minutes to cover the 3660 meters that separate the two gondola lift stations and cross the Volga,” notes Poma. “Each station is connected to the public transport network and has a large car park, promoting intermodality.”
The pile-up follows a high-profile accident in Switzerland earlier this year when a ski resort gondola fell to the ground, killing one.
In the U.S., lift malfunctions that lead to fatal accidents are rare. Between 1973 and 2024, the National Ski Areas Association tallied 16 of these kinds of deaths. Most happened in the 1970s and 1980s.
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