Update at 20:45 PM from Haifa Municipality: The incident is over. All passengers were rescued safely.
(Haipo) – Passengers were stranded in the air in Haifa's cable car cars on Thursday evening, November 12, 2026, following a technical malfunction. Rescue forces, accompanied by fire and rescue cranes, are currently preparing and working to perform complex rescues of the passengers from the cars.
A technical malfunction shut down the cable car in the evening.
On Thursday evening, a technical malfunction occurred on the Haifa cable car, which led to the suspension of the facility's operations while passengers were inside the cars. The passengers were left stranded in the air, and as soon as the incident was reported, rescue forces were called to the scene. This is an unusual event that requires complex rescue operations due to the height of the cars and their location above the surface. At this stage, this is a preliminary report, and additional details are expected to be published during the evening.
Fire and rescue forces deployed with cranes to rescue the passengers
Fire and rescue forces arrived at the cable car area and deployed cranes to rescue the passengers trapped in the floating cars. The teams are preparing to perform complex rescues, which include reaching the cars at height and safely lowering the passengers. The incident is causing great tension among residents and those involved, with the rescue forces doing everything in their power to complete the rescue operation quickly and safely. Additional details will be provided later this evening as the circumstances and scope of the malfunction become clearer.
The Haifa Municipality informed Haifa:
1. The improvised fire station that was established contains fire and rescue forces, including members of the "Flame" special unit;
MDA teams; and members of the "Oz" municipal police unit of the Haifa Municipality.
2. The company operating the cable car is working to rescue the passengers in the cars.
3. A disaster management team was established at the scene to manage the incident and coordinate all forces operating in the area. Haifa Municipality Director General David Luria arrived at the scene to closely monitor the rescue operations. Haifa Mayor Yona Yahav is being kept up to date with the details of the incident and has instructed all municipal officials to provide the emergency and rescue forces with all necessary assistance.
Did the article interest you?