J&K: Seven persons feared dead as gandola cable snaps in Gulmarg

Gulmarg: Seven people including two children were killed Sunday when a cable car crashed to the ground at a ski resort in Indian-administered Kashmir, police said.

The gondola lift at Gulmarg claims to be the world`s highest, ferrying passengers to a height of 4,100 metres (13,450 feet) for panoramic views of the snow-clad Himalayas.

Police superintendent Imtiyaz Hussain said seven people were killed in the accident. 

"We are combing the forest area below the cable line to see if there are any more bodies," Hussain told AFP.

Another police officer said a couple, two children and a local guide were among the dead.

Gulmarg is the only ski resort in the restive Kashmir region, with tourists also visiting in the off-season for the views.

But visitor numbers have dipped in recent years amid unrest in the strife-torn region, with violence rising since the death of a popular militant leader last year.

Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since the end of British colonial rule in 1947 but both claim the territory in its entirety.