family suspended 150ft up in the air after 'sky-dining restaurant' crane malfunctions

A family was suspended for three hours midair following a crane malfunction at a ‘sky-dining’ restaurant in Kerala,India.

Mohammed Safwan,31,his wife Thoufeena,25 and their two children climbed down ropes following the technical hitch at 150ft in Anachal.

The family were enjoying lunch at an attraction operated by Southern Skies Aerodynamics when they found themselves stuck at 1.30pm on Friday.

Rescuers placed a net beneath the crane’s elevated platform as they brought the children and then their parents down to safety.

The family was trapped for more than two hours (Picture: Kerala Fire and Rescue Services)

The rescue operation took three hours (Picture: Kerala Fire and Rescue Services)

All diners,as well as restaurant worker Haripriya,were on firm ground by 4.30pm.

The restaurant’s management reportedly failed to phone either the police or the fire service.

Southern Skies Aerodynamics insisted that staff were trained to deal with emergencies and denied there was any panic during the breakdown.

The cause was a technical fault with the crane’s hydraulic system,with the restaurant found to be operating without the required civic licence.

Diners had to scale down a 150-foot-long rope (Picture: Kerala Fire and Rescue Services)

The family,which included a two-year-old boy,had travelled to Idukki for the district’s famous hillsides.

The elevated restaurant is part of the area’s tourism programme,which aims to offer thrill-seekers futuristic attractions.

A tourism board insider told the Indo-Asian News Service that a technical inspection and safety assessment will soon take place.

The local administration stressed that safety regulations will be tightened to prevent further accidents.