A cable failure on a chairlift that crosses a river in the Allai Jhangray Pashto region of Battagram in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Tuesday morning left eight people, including seven kids and a teacher, trapped in midair. A Pakistan Army chopper with commandos managed to rescue all those trapped inside the chairlift after an hours-long operation.
The news of the cable car breakdown was reported early in the morning by locals. A cable car was seen on camera stranded in midair, and crowds had gathered to watch the cable car.
Gul Nawaz, the teacher who was trapped in the chairlift with the students, requested a rapid rescue effort while talking to the media.
He said that the youngsters, whose ages range from 10 to 15, are in severe condition, and one of them has fainted due to fear.
Nawaz said that it is rare for the chairlift to have only a few passengers inside because it generally carries a bigger load.
The rapid rescue of eight people trapped in a chairlift in the Pashto neighbourhood of Battagram was ordered by interim Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar.
The premier stated in a tweet that the chairlift accident in Battagram, KP, was extremely concerning. "I have instructed the NDMA, PDMA, and district officials to ensure the eight passengers trapped in the chairlift are safely rescued and evacuated as soon as possible," he said.
He also directed the authorities to conduct safety inspections of all such private chairlifts and ensure that they are safe to operate and use.
The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has provided coordination support to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to rescue eight people, including children and teacher Gul Nawaz, stuck at a height of 900 feet in a chairlift due to a breakage of its cable in Battagram.
According to a press release issued by the NDMA, an Army helicopter has been dispatched for a rescue operation.
Moreover, the Pakistan Army’s Special Services Group (SSG) team has been dispatched to evacuate stranded people.
The provincial rescue service, 1122, stated that all the occupants of the chairlift had been rescued.
بٹگرام ریسکیو آپریشن مکمل
— KP_Rescue1122 (@KPRescue1122) August 22, 2023
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