BATTAGRAM – Rescuers from the Pakistan Army have rescued all eight people trapped in a cable car after hours of effort in Allai tehsil of Battagram, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The children were rescued through a helicopter in a sling operation and shifted to the safe place where they are being given medical aid as they are traumatized.
Local authorities said the incident occurred around 8am when students and two residents were on their way to school. One of the children reportedly fainted due to fear.
Two of the three wires of the cable car snapped, leaving residents and students stuck at an altitude of 3,000 feet. Senior officials of local administration and rescuers were facing challenges due to the height of the cable car.
Earlier, Gulfaraz (20), who was among those stranded in the cable car, told a private TV channel that he and other passengers have been stuck for more than six hours. He said the first wire broke at 7am and the second one broke minutes later. “We don’t even have drinking water in the chairlift,” he said.
Gulfaraz confirmed that there are eight people in the chairlift of which six are students. The ages of students are between 10 to 16 years, he said.
Zafar Iqbal, a schoolteacher, said the students were coming to the school by the chairlift.
“The chairlift is used to go from one place to another. In this area, 150 children come to school by chairlift,” he said, confirming that two wires of the cable car broke.
Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar termed the incident alarming, directing the National Disaster Management Authority and the Provincial Disaster Management Authority to “urgently ensure safe rescue and evacuation of the 8 people stuck in the chairlift”.
The chairlift accident in Battagram, KP is really alarming. I have directed the NDMA, PDMA and district authorities to urgently ensure safe rescue and evacuation of the 8 people stuck in the chairlift.
I have also directed the authorities to conduct safety inspections of all such…— Anwaar ul Haq Kakar (@anwaar_kakar) August 22, 2023
“A chairlift stuck at a height of about 900 ft midway due to breakage in one of its cable in Battagram. 8 persons including 6 children [are] stranded,” the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said in a statement.
The statement said NDMA has provided coordination support to the Provincial Disaster Mangaement Authority (PDMA).
“After coordination Pak Army helicopter has been despatched for rescue operation,” it added.
