The Lebanese lived through difficult hours last Thursday, holding their breath, after the malfunction that struck the cable car between Jounieh and Harissa, where dozens of citizens were stuck between heaven and earth, in an incident that was the first of its kind.
But before going into the details and responsibilities, we must take a moment of pride in the youth of the Civil Defense teams and the Airborne Regiment from the Army, the Air Force, and the Red Cross, who made every possible effort to rescue the citizens who were detained inside the cabins for hours, and they were the best example of the Lebanese who is always motivated to save his brother, no matter what the cost. The command.
Several questions are raised by the cable car accident about negligence in regular maintenance, which leads to such accidents, which could have led to a national disaster that claimed the lives of dozens, and monitoring the work of the operating company responsible for periodic maintenance? The most important question remains: Will those responsible for this incident be held accountable so that it does not happen again later?
History of Jounieh cable car
The Jounieh Cable Car or Lebanon Cable Car is one of the most famous landmarks of Mount Lebanon. Its height at its highest point is 550 meters, while its length is 1,570 meters. It connects Jounieh Bay and the Harissa area and is considered one of the most beautiful tourist places in Mount Lebanon.
The idea of constructing the Jounieh cable car began by some young men who were on a school trip to the Shrine of Our Lady of Lebanon and dreamed of creating a means to transport visitors to this region directly from Jounieh to Harissa. The process of constructing the cable car was then initiated by the government and it was officially opened in 1965 to become one of the most important tourist destinations. in the country.
The trip by cable car takes only nine minutes and the distance is estimated at 1.5 kilometers (1 mile). The cable car line extends from Jounieh Bay over the sea highway, the steep mountain and over pine trees at an altitude of 650 meters to reach the shrine of Our Lady of Lebanon in Harissa. The trip offers amazing scenic views, including panoramic views of Jounieh Bay.
Since then, no malfunctions have been recorded in the cable car, but in 2015 it suffered a malfunction that led to the cabins stopping working for a short period, and people were stuck in them, then they returned to work.
What happened on Thursday?
Head of the Information Office at the General Directorate of Civil Defense, Elie Khairallah, points out, “This is not the first incident that has affected the cable car heading to Harissa. It has previously happened that the movement of the cable car cabins was disrupted due to a power outage, and again due to a malfunction in the machines designated for pushing the cabins by rotation.” cables, and a third time due to one of the compartments shifting from its path, which caused the operating system to stop. The last incident of this kind was nearly four years ago, when the cable car movement was disrupted and civil defense personnel rescued the passengers using rescue ropes.”
He said, “What happened on Thursday was different in terms of the type of malfunction, as two cabins collided with each other and went off course. Despite that, we cannot describe this accident as ‘serious’. Rather, it can be said that it is different from the previous ones. The air speed may have contributed to this collision, but it remains this.” Possibility is in the realm of speculation.
He continued in an interview with “Lebanon 24”: “In the rescue operation, the mountain rescue teams at the General Directorate of Civil Defense used automatic ladders and mountain rescue equipment, in addition to using a drone to determine the location of detainees inside the very high cabins, given that the automatic ladder is 33 meters high.” From the maximum height, a “winch” from a private company was used, reaching a height of 70 meters, as one of the compartments was in a place exceeding 70 meters in height, which forced the elements, in cooperation with the Army Airborne Regiment, to add an integral part to the “winch.” “To be able to reach the cabin site and evacuate the detainees while they were in good health.”
He pointed out that the most prominent difficulties that hindered the conduct of operations were the rugged geographical location and the race against time to be able to evacuate all the stranded passengers (the majority of whom were children, in addition to the presence of a pregnant woman) before darkness fell.
As for coordination between the teams, Khairallah confirmed that he was in full swing at three different points, starting from Jounieh, passing through the coast of Alma, and arriving at the shrine of Our Lady of Lebanon in Harissa. The tasks were carried out in parallel to gain time and finish as quickly as possible.
Accountability is coming
In light of this massive move, attention is turning to the Lebanese state and what may be issued by it after investigations into this incident. In this context, sources from the Ministry of Energy indicate through “Lebanon 24”, which is the ministry responsible for the operating company, that the Minister gave his directives to begin actual investigations into the case. The incident to know what happened on the ground before taking any legal position.
On the other hand, the Chairman of the Public Works, Transport, Energy and Water Committee, MP Sajia Attia, confirmed that the committee will hold a meeting next Thursday, in the presence of the Minister of Energy and the relevant ministers, to discuss the course of what happened and determine responsibilities, stressing in an interview with “Lebanon 24” that this incident will not go unnoticed. If it becomes clear that there is negligence on the part of the operating company or negligence in maintenance work, the tendency will be to file a claim against it before the competent judiciary.
On the other hand, MP Salim Al-Sayegh, who followed the incident from the first moment, speaks about the loss of responsibilities in the incident, adding that the Ministry of Energy is the authority responsible for the operating company, but the Ministries of Works and Tourism bear responsibility in turn, calling for an effective and transparent investigation to determine responsibilities. And punish those who are negligent.
In an interview with “Lebanon 24”, Al-Sayegh went further, as he called on the state to move quickly to help the people who were stuck in the cabins – children, women and men – to overcome the shock that befell them, and to work to provide them with appropriate psychological treatment, because what happened to them is a real crisis and it is… It is necessary to follow up on them psychologically and health-wise to overcome the “trauma” that afflicted them.
Al-Sayegh hoped to work quickly to restore reassurance to the souls of citizens, and to restart this vital public facility, which is considered one of the most prominent tourist attractions in the region.
So, all eyes are on what will emerge from the investigations that began into the cable car incident, and what results may emerge from it. Will the state be able to hold accountable the negligent person, who, due to his negligence, could have caused a disaster in Lebanon? The answer depends on the coming days.
2024-01-01 09:14:48
#cable #car #accident…an #accident #negligence #negligence #Investigations #continuing
