Two persons died and several others sustained injuries in a ropeway accident at Chitrakoot Hills in Deoghar in Jharkhand on Sunday. Scores of people are still hanging precariously from the ropeway cabins for more than 30 hours after cable cars collided with each other, sources said.

As the family members of those stuck in the cable cars are panic-stricken, the State Government has entensified the rescue operation.

Deoghar Deputy Commissioner Manjunath Bhajantri and Superintendent of Police Subhash Chandra Jat have been camping at the spot since Sunday.

The accident occurred due to a technical snag resulting in the collision of cable cars, an official said, adding, however, the exact cause is yet to be ascertained.

On Monday, an Army team were pressed into rescue operation, but the troops were not successful as the cable cars were shaking. The Army team even tried to rescue the trapped people through helicopters, but failed in their attempt, and later put off their operation. National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF), ITBP, and local police too are carrying out rescue operations.

Efforts are being made to provide food through drones to 48 people, including some children trapped in the cable cars.

The tourists who are stranded are mostly from Bihar, West Bengal and Jharkhand. Chief Minister Hemant Soren has directed senior Government officials to expedite rescue operations.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah is monitoring the situation.

The highest peak of the Trikut Hill is 2,470 ft above sea level in the Mohanpur block on Deoghar-Dumka road, about 20 km from the Deoghar town. The ropeway is at a height of about 1,500 ft above the ground. The Jharkhand tourism department says the Trikut ropeway is the highest vertical ropeway in the country with a maximum elevation angle of 44°. The ropeway, situated around 20 km from Baba Baidyanath Temple, is around 766 m long while the hill is 392 m high.