Allai Tehsil, Battagram,(KPK), 22 Aug 2023 (APP)

After nearly 15 hours of effort, commandos of Pakistan Army successfully rescued eight persons including seven students namely, Abrar, Irfan, Usama, Rizwan Ullah, Ataullah, Niaz Muhammad, Sher Nawaz and teacher Gul Faraz, who were stuck inside a cable car at a height of 6,000 feet by a single cable after one of its ropes broke down in Allai Tehsil, Battagram district, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

The cable hangs in the middle of a deep ravine surrounded by stunning mountains, where cable cars are frequently used to connect remote villages and towns. The students were travelling in the cable car to go to the Batangi Government High School.

Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar made the announcement on X, {former Twitter}, saying: “Relieved to know that Alhamdolillah all the kids have been successfully and safely rescued. Great teamwork by the military, rescue departments, district administration as well as the local people.”

Two of the kids were rescued with extreme caution, however, rescue officials decided to conduct sling operation with the help of SSG team.  Sling operations are aerial operations where large loads are moved in geographically difficult terrains.

Later, in a ground operation led by SSG’s General Officer Commanding (GOC), five persons were rescued with alternative means. Another cable car, smaller in size was hung on the same cable through which food and water were also delivered to them. The Pakistan Army also brought in a local cable crossings expert for help.

As per NDMA statement, SSG Team, Pakistan Army Aviation, Pakistan Air Force, and Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), participated in the rescue operation.

The rescue mission had several complications including gusty winds in the area and the risk of the helicopter’s rotor blades further destabilising the lift.

20 year old,  Gulfraz among stranded persons shared with media over the phone that a 16-year-old unconscious was suffering from a heart condition and was unconscious,  the teenager was going to the hospital through the cable car.

Gulfaraz said the first wire broke at 7am while another cable broke down soon after. “The first cable broke down after the cable car travelled a mile,” the 20-year-old said, adding that the passengers have been waiting for help since early morning.

Gulfaraz confirmed that there are eight people in the cable car of which six are students, between 10 to 16 years old.

Cable car located at 2 thousand meters

According to details released by PDMA, the cable car incident occurred at 8:30am in Pashto area of Battagram.

The cable car is located at a height of about two thousand meters and passes through rainwater channels in the middle of the mountains, the PDMA added.

The children, who have been stranded, were using the cable car to get to school in the mountainous area of Battagram.

Sonia Shamrose, the district police officer, told Geo News that all efforts were being made to rescue the people trapped in the cable car.

Zafar Iqbal, a school teacher, said that the students were coming to the school by cable car.

“The cable car is used to go from one place to another. In this area, 150 children come to school by cable car,” he said, confirming that two wires of the cable car broke down mid-air.

‘Alarming incident’

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”.

“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,” he added.

It is reported that two of the three chairlift cables got broken, and the remaining wire could break due to the air pressure generated by the helicopter.