Five children rescued in cable car horror as one still trapped 900ft in air

22 August 2023 , 08:57

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Rescuers are in a race against time to save one schoolchild and two adults who are trapped, dangling 900ft above the ground in a broken down cable car - after they successfully managed to rescue five of the children.

The children were on the school run in the Pashto village of mountainous Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, in the north of Pakistan, when two of the cables reportedly snapped, leaving them hanging precariously in the air, officials said. The army has since been called in to help and military helicopters have spent the day trying to save those trapped inside the car.

Despite the best efforts of rescuers to board the cable car, strong winds have complicated attempts and so far they remain trapped. One of the men stuck on board told Pakistan's Geo News TV channel: "For God's sake help us,".

At around 7pm GMT, rescue officials confirmed that the last child and the two adults who had waited behind had finally been rescued. You can read the full story here.

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The cable car has been stuck in place four hours now, with one child on board reportedly unconscious (ViralPress)

The cable car is dangling hundreds of feet in the air, held in place by just one cable now (AP)

The first cable broke around 7am local time, with a second snapping shortly afterwards, meaning they have been trapped for hours now and are held in place by just a single rope, one senior official reportedly warned. Initially, there were attempts to fix the fault but these were unsuccessful.

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But this afternoon, authorities successfully saved four children from the cable car, raising hopes the rest might be safely brought down too. They are said to both be in a stable condition. By around 6pm GMT, another had been rescued, leaving just one child and two adults dangling in the air.

Rescue efforts were initially unsuccessful due to high winds complicating attempts to get on board the cable car (AFP via Getty Images)

Zulfiqar Khan, an official with Pakistan's 1122 rescue service, told AFP: "The cable car is stuck in a place where it is almost impossible to help without a helicopter,". The country's acting prime minister described the situation as "really alarming".

Relatives of those trapped prayed while anxiously watching the operation unfold. The rescue also transfixed Pakistanis across the country who watched on television.

Local TV showed army commandos trying to lower themselves on ropes towards the cable car

Anwaar ul Haq Kakar said: "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 private chairlifts and ensure that they are safe to operate and use."

Local media reported that rescue teams were trying to spread nets underneath the cable car and Assistant Commissioner Jawad Hussain said: "If the second helicopter fails to rescue the passengers, Rescue 1122 teams will make efforts from the ground via a snorkel. We have also called locals from Shangla’s Besham who have experience in conducting similar rescue operations near the Diamer Bhasha dam,”.

The harrowing image of inside the cable car where the students and two adults remain trapped

The cable car is run by locals to help with transport across harsh terrain, including the towering mountains and rocky ravines below. Some reports have identified the two adults on board as teachers. Gulfaraz, a 20-year-old man stuck aboard the cable car, told Geo News that the students were aged 10-16 years old, and he claimed one suffered from a heart condition and had been unconscious for the last three hours.

Iqbal, a school teacher, told Dawn.com that at least 150 students used the dangerous route to get to school every day due to a lack of adequate roads. Footage from the scene shows huge crowds watching on, in the rural region, in horror as rescuers have a man rappelling down along the line towards the cable car.

Hundreds of locals gathered to watch on in horror (Viral Press)

Since then, strong winds have made the rescue effort difficult and it is further complicated because the helicopters' own rotor blades risk further destabilising the life. Later footage showed inside the hanging cable car, where the trapped occupants clung on desperately as their rescuers lowered towards them.

Reuters reported that one security official, speaking on the condition on anonymity, said special service troops trained in sling operations were involved in the "extremely dangerous and risky operation". Sling operations are completed mid-air and involve moving heavy loads over difficult terrain. In 2017, 10 people were killed when a cable car fell into a ravine hundreds of feet deep in the popular mountain resort of Murree after its cable broke.

Kieren Williams

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