‘I thought I was going to die.’ 21 people stranded overnight on icy New Mexico tram

Stranded overnight on an icy New Mexico mountain tram, 31-year-old Amber Santos had some doubts during the New Year’s Eve ordeal.

“There was a time when I thought I was going to die on the tram, which is a nightmare in itself,” she told The Albuquerque Journal.

But rescuers brought Santos and the other 20 people trapped aboard two tram cars at Sandia Peak down safely on ropes Saturday, Jan. 1, KOAT reported.

“it was just pure joy,” tram operator Drajon Jones told the station about the rescue.

The last two tram cars to descend from the peak, filled with restaurant and tramway workers, became stuck about 10 p.m. Mountain Time on Friday, Dec. 31, KRQE reported.

Iced-over cables became twisted in the high winds, forcing the Sandia Peak Tramway to shut down operations, leaving the trams stranded, The Albuquerque Journal reported.

The trams were supplied with food, water, and emergency heating blankets, KRQE reported.

“The crazy storm that was coming in, it was sleet, then it was rain and snow, then it was a whiteout,” passenger Colleen Elvidge told The Albuquerque Journal. “It was pretty sketchy and we were swaying a lot. It did get very scary and it’s only because it’s a small box.”

Passengers made jokes about wills and last wishes as the temperature dropped overnight, according to the publication.

“We all got real close, a lot of hugging and just made sure everyone was OK,” Bill Howley told KOAT.

Rescuers climbed a nearby tower, entered the trams through a roof hatch, and helped passengers rappel to the ground, The Albuquerque Journal reported.

A Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office helicopter shuttled the rescued passengers to safety.

The rescue took most of the day Saturday, with the Bernalillo County Fire Department reporting on Twitter that all 21 passengers and rescuers were safe at 4 p.m.

“The process has taken a while because we’ve had waves of weather that have come in, low visibility and snow and we kind of have to wait it out,” Undersheriff Karry Koren told KRQE.

This story was originally published January 2, 2022 at 10:52 AM.