Battagram cable car accident: All eight stranded people rescued

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. 

Officials said the operation would continue until the rescue of all the people despite challenges being posed by the weather conditions.

Local authorities said the incident occurred around 8am the when students and two residents were on their way to school. One of the children reportedly fainted out due to fear.

Two of three wires of the cable car snapped, leaving residents and students stuck around 3,000 feet from the ground. Senior officials of local administration and rescuers are facing challenges due to the height of the cable car.

Gulfaraz (20), who is currently present on the chairlift, 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 while another cable broke down soon after.

“We don’t even have drinking water in the chairlift,” he complained.

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 old, he said.

Zafar Iqbal, a school teacher, said that 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 down mid-air.

Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar has termed the incident alarming, directing the National Disaster Management Authority and Provincial Disaster Management Authority to “urgently ensure safe rescue and evacuation of the 8 people stuck in the chairlift”.

“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 Provincial Disaster Mangaement Authority (PDMA).

“After coordination Pak Army helicopter has been despatched for rescue operation,” it added.