6 children among 8 trapped mid-air in cable car in Pakistan
Pakistan: Atleast eight people, including six school children were trapped over 1,000 feet above the ground in a cable car after two of its wires snapped on Tuesday in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Battagram district.
The incident took place early morning when two locals and the six children were on their way to the school. They became trapped after the wires of the cable car snapped and is dangling in the middle of a ravine surrounded by mountains.The cable car was privately operated by local residents as a means of transportation across the river.
“A chairlift at a height of about 900 feet got stuck in the middle due to a broken cable in Bitgram. 8 persons including 6 children are stranded. After co-operation with PDMA and Pakistan Army, an army helicopter has been dispatched for the rescue operation,” the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) of Pakistan wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
According to Allai Assistant Commissioner Jawad Hussain, the local administration along with rescue 1122 teams were present at the spot, but due to the height and the hilly area, it was not possible for rescue officials to carry out a relief operation.
One of the passengers inside the stuck cable car, Gulfaraz, spoke to Geo News over call and informed that the problem initially started when the first wire broke at 7 am. Following this, another wire also snapped. He also said a 16-year-old student suffering from a heart condition has been unconscious for three hours. He was on his way to the hospital when the incident took place. He confirmed that six of those in the cable car were students aged 10-16 years.
Meanwhile, caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq said that he has directed authorities to urgently rescue the cable car passsenger and conduct safety inspections.
