But all were rescued safely before midnight the same day.

At around 4:30 pm on Sunday, the cableway going to the peak of the Yulong Jokul Mountain near Lijiang stopped working after it was hit by a sudden gust of strong wind.

Six passengers in cable cars, including two tourists and four cableway workers, and another 21 tourists and workers who were waiting at the cable car station, were trapped on the mountain.

The temperature on the mountain peak was 10 degrees below zero at the time and dropped even lower as night approached.

A rescue team of more than 380 police and medical staff was quickly organized and worked with the cableway company to save the stranded people.

With their help, all 27 people left the mountain safely at about 11:30 pm.

The Yulong Jokul development company suspended operation of the cableway on Monday to check the system, according to manager of the company He Xianzhong.

The inspection was to prevent similar accidents during the coming Spring Festival holidays, which are a gold mine for tourism.

Lijiang, a famous resort in China and home to ethnic groups such as Yi and Naxi, features diverse cultural attractions and beautiful natural scenery.

Each year nearly 10 million tourists visit Lijiang.

(China Daily January 15, 2003)