A rescue mission in northwest Pakistan has rescued all of the passengers who were trapped in a cable car hanging hundreds of feet in the air for around 12 hours.
Six children and two teachers were traveling to school when a cable broke on a lift in the mountainous area of Battagram, leaving the party stranded 900 feet in the air around 10 p.m. EDT Monday. Two army helicopters were dispatched for a rescue mission after the chairlift stopped functioning and couldn’t be fixed.
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“Relieved to know that Alhamdolillah all the kids have been successfully and safely rescued,” caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar ul Haq Kakar posted on X, the social media website formerly known as Twitter. “Great team work by the military, rescue departments, district administration as well as the local people.”
Two children were initially rescued, followed by another two shortly after. Hours after the first rescue, the others were brought down. Helicopters and military forces struggled to retrieve the passengers in windy conditions.
“I am happy that progress is being made, and thanks to the efforts of our army personnel, Air Force, rescue organizations, district administration and others, students stuck in the chairlift have started returning to the ground safely,” Kakar posted on X following the first rescues.
Multiple passengers were falling in and out of consciousness, and food and water were given to the students and teachers earlier in the day, Bilal Faizi, a spokesman for the state-run emergency service said, per the Associated Press.
“One child has fainted due to heat and fear,” Shariq Riaz Khattak, a rescue official at the site, told Reuters.
The military and emergency services were sent out to the gondola, which was hanging on by a single cable, according to rescue officials.
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“I have directed the NDMA, PDMA and district authorities to urgently ensure safe rescue and evacuation of the 8 people stuck in the chairlift,” Kakar wrote after the group was stuck for hours before helicopter assistance. “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.”
Local media showed footage of the army bringing some people from the cable car down to the ground in a harness.
