Two high-altitude rescue specialists, the heroes of the cable car
PUERTO PLATA – Two cable car rescue specialists trained for the Santo Domingo Cable Car were called in to safely extract the 17 people who had been stranded since yesterday , suspended in the air, on the Puerto Plata cable car.
Amaro García and Michael Añasco are part of a group of 32 people who trained in high-altitude rescue in Colombia for rescue in this type of transport last year.
Corporal Amaro García is second in command of the Specialized Security Corps of the Metro and the Cable Car (Cesmet) and has trained to reach the suspended cabins, as he had to do yesterday along with his partner Añasco.
The team usually springs into action after attempts to get the suspended cabin working have failed due to the risk involved in a rescue in the area.
On this occasion, García and Añasco managed to reach the cabin suspended in the air with 17 people on board, and they got each person off using special cables for that purpose.
The rescue team was transferred from Santo Domingo to Puerto Plata to join the Emergency Operations Center’s emergency unit.
The team usually springs into action after attempts to get the suspended cabin working have failed due to the risk involved in a rescue in the area.
On this occasion, García and Añasco managed to reach the cabin suspended in the air with 17 people on board, and they managed to get each person off using special cables for that purpose.
The rescue team was transferred from Santo Domingo to Puerto Plata to join the Emergency Operations Center’s emergency unit.
“This emergency personnel demonstrated great technical skill and a lot of courage in making use of their training,” Paliza said.
The rescue unit formed in Colombia has been serving as a multiplier by training other Dominicans to expand the personnel trained for these tasks due to the increase in funicular units in the Dominican Republic.
They belong to the Santo Domingo Metro because it is the administrative entity that manages the Santo Domingo Cable Car.
Puerto Plata Cable Car
The Isabel de Torres Mountain funicular, or Puerto Plata cable car, was inaugurated in 1975 as a tourist attraction to view the vegetation from the steep aerial journey.
Its cabin has a capacity for 17 people (16 passengers and one operator), just the number that had been stuck since Sunday.
The problem was caused by the breaking of the axle in the pulley at the top, a piece that had been in the cabin since the aircraft’s founding in 1975.
The trip up or down the mountain takes 8 minutes; it is powered by an electric hydraulic system controlled by an operating station located at the base of the mountain.
This trip is one of the most popular and picturesque excursions that tourists experience when visiting Puerto Plata.
It is administered by a board of trustees.
