Icy Trip for Tourists as HK Cable Car Stalls

Hong Kong suspended its popular cable car on Thursday after a malfunction left hundreds of tourists dangling in icy weather during the Chinese New Year holiday.

Around 800 passengers were left hanging in the air in temperatures below three degrees Celsius (37 degrees Fahrenheit) after the cable car broke down Wednesday for the fourth time in six weeks, an official said.

A spokeswoman for the state-run Ngong Ping 360 said a decision was made to stop the 5.7-kilometre (3.5-mile) system because the haul rope was "not operating smoothly".

Passengers were stranded in the gondolas for more than 30 minutes.

"It was freezing cold up there, and the wind was blowing hard. We did not know what happened and there was no announcement or anything," one furious passenger was quoted as saying by The Standard newspaper.

Another told the South China Morning Post: "It was like we were sitting in a fridge, not knowing what was going on. All we could see was fog and rain. Our holiday has been spoiled now."

The company refunded ticket holders. An adult round-trip fare costs $HK125 ($15).

The company spokeswoman said operations would be suspended for 10 days from Thursday while checks were carried out to remedy the recurring problem.