SA tourists trapped in cable car

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/africa/7202035.stm

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More than 30 people in South Africa were trapped in a cable car in mid-air for more than three hours near the top of Table Mountain after a power cut.

Hundreds of others were stranded at a cafe on Cape Town's famous landmark having gone up on a "sunset special".

The cable car is normally a five-minute journey, while it takes at least two hours to climb to the summit.

Power cuts have swept the country over the past week, and the cabinet is meeting to discuss the crisis.

Power company Eskom is planning to limit its supply to neighbouring countries as it battles shortages.

A spokesperson for Table Mountain Aerial Cableway told South Africa's Cape Times newspaper that a power cut at about 2000 local time (1800 GMT) had caused two cars to jump out of alignment.

Passengers in a lower car were rescued - the first such emergency operation since it began operating almost 80 years ago.

But the tourists near the top of the mountain were left stranded until the problem was fixed at about 2320.

Several hundred tourists were stuck at the top of the mountain waiting for the cable car to start working again.