A cable car in Pakistan with eight people inside was stuck dangling over 1,000 feet over a canyon as authorities scrambled to save them.
Six children and two adults on their way to school were left dangling 1,150 feet (350 meters) in the air for six hours after one of the cables broke, according to The Associated Press. The group of people was reportedly trapped for hours before helicopters arrived. Commandos tried to rappel from the helicopters down to the cable car, but multiple rescue attempts were unsuccessful.
“The chairlift accident in Battagram, KP is really alarming,” Pakistani Prime Minister Anwaar ul Haq Kakar tweeted. “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 private chairlifts and ensure that they are safe to operate and use.”
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
The rescue mission is complicated not only by high winds in the area but also due to the helicopter’s blades which could possibly further weaken the other string on the cable car, Shariq Riaz Khattak told Reuters. (RELATED: At Least 30 Killed, 60 Injured In Train Derailment Abroad)
One of the passengers, 20-year-old Gulfaraz, shared with Geo News in a phone interview that a 16-year-old passenger had passed out and been unconscious for three hours. The 16-year-old reportedly has a heart condition and had been on his way to the hospital via the cable car.
“We don’t even have drinking water in the chairlift,” Gulfaraz shared, explaining that the first cable had broken after they had traveled a mile.
Pakistan Assistant Commissioner Jawad Hussain said rescue officials are trying to spread nets underneath the cable car, according to Dawn News.
The story continues to develop.
