Idukki (Kerala) | Four tourists, with two children among them, were stranded about 150 feet above ground in a ‘sky-dining' restaurant near Anachal on Friday afternoon after the crane lifting the restaurant malfunctioned.

The group was stuck for over two hours before the fire and rescue personnel reached the site around 4 pm after learning about the incident from news reports. The team rescued the four-member family safely.

Visuals on television showed personnel climbing ropes to reach the restaurant.

The two children and their mother were brought down first, followed by the father and a female restaurant staff member. By around 4.30 pm, all four tourists and the staff member had been safely evacuated.

The staff member told TV channels that there was no panic as they had received training to handle such situations. She said the family was from Kozhikode.

A fire official said the restaurant management did not seek assistance from the fire and rescue service, but units from Munnar and Adimali were dispatched after reports of the incident emerged.

An officer from Adimali police station said the management also did not inform the police, and it was residents who alerted authorities.

Locals reported that the tourists had been stranded since around 1.30 pm.

The official added that the crane's hydraulics appear to have malfunctioned, leaving the restaurant suspended over a hundred feet above ground.

The ‘sky-dining' experience is part of the adventure tourism initiative in the hill district, the official noted.