Seven die as Indian cable snaps

At least seven people have been killed and 22 and injured after a cableway to a hill shrine in western India snapped, sending…

At least seven people have been killed and 22 and injured after a cableway to a hill shrine in western India snapped, sending three cars plunging to the ground.

Police said the fire brigade and paramilitary forces had rescued 32 people trapped in cars hanging in mid-air.

"The (death) toll has gone up to seven," a senior police official said. "A helicopter and crane from a nearby refinery were used to rescue those trapped."

The incident took place in the hill town of Pavagadh in the western state of Gujarat, about 140 kilometres (90 miles) south of the state's main city, Ahmedabad.

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Devotees use the cable cars to get to a Hindu temple atop a hill.

"Preliminary investigations suggest the accident was caused by the snapping of one of the ropeways," a police official said.

He said some of the injured were in serious condition and had been admitted to hospitals in the nearby city of Baroda.