Pakistan cable car rescue success as kids and adults saved in zipline recovery

22 August 2023 , 18:03

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Pakistan cable car rescue success as kids and adults saved in zipline recovery

All six children and two adults have been miraculously rescued after their cable car was left dangling 900ft over a gaping canyon in Pakistan.

The incident happened this morning when two cables attached to the car snapped over a gorge in a mountainous Pashto village in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The group were on the cable car - which is a common form of public transport in the region - to take the children to school.

After they snapped, the children and two adults were left hanging precariously in the air, according to officials, who added that the army was called in to assist. They used military helicopters to position troops who have been spending the day trying to rescue the trapped eight.

An enormous rescue effort has been underway all day in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province

The chances of rescuing all six individuals had initially looked slim because of the strong winds battering the region at the time. At one point, one of the trapped adults said "For God's sake help us" as he was interviewed by local media.

Just after 7pm UK time, it was announced that the last child and the two adults - who had been waiting until all the kids had been rescued - were now safe. A spokesperson for state-run emergency service says army commandos rescued the six children and two adults after an hourslong operation. Bilal Faizi said both troops and civilian rescuers took part in the effort.

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People gather under the dangling cable car (AFP via Getty Images)

Because helicopters could not fly after sunset, rescuers shifted from an airborne effort to a risky operation that involved using one cable that was still intact to approach the car with the chairlift. Footage on TV stations showed a child in a harness being pulled to safety. The commandos' rope could be seen swaying in the wind against the mountainous landscape. An expert described the helicopter rescues as extremely delicate because the wind generated by the helicopter blades could further weaken the remaining cables holding the car aloft.

Relatives of those trapped prayed for more than 12 hours while anxiously watching the operation unfold. The rescue also transfixed the country as Pakistanis crowded around televisions in offices, shops, restaurants, and hospitals.

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

As the rescued children were handed over to their families, most burst into tears, said Nazir Ahmed, a senior police officer who was present in the area where the air and ground rescue mission was launched. "Everyone was praying for this moment," he said.

Earlier, Bilal Faizi, a spokesperson for the state-run emergency service, had promised the remaining two adults and a child would soon be rescued. He said food and water were supplied to the car earlier in the day. According to Pakistani TV stations, some of those trapped were in contact with their families by cellphone. Authorities said the two adults were consoling the children, who were between the ages of 11 and 15.

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

Villagers frequently use cable cars to get around Pakistan's mountainous regions. But the cars are often poorly maintained, and every year people die or are injured while traveling in them. Helicopters were sent to attempt to pluck the people from the cable car but only after the group spent six hours precariously suspended 350 meters (1,150 feet) above ground, according to Taimoor Khan, a spokesman for the disaster management authority.

Pakistan's caretaker prime minister, Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar, wrote on X, the service formerly known as Twitter, that he had ordered safety inspections of the country's cable cars and chairlifts. Several helicopters hovered above the scene, and ambulances gathered on the ground.

Tipu Sultan, a retired army brigadier and defense expert, warned that the helicopters themselves could make the situation worse but that the commandos would be well aware of that risk. Khan added that the pilots were flying "carefully." In 2017, 10 people were killed when a cable car fell into a ravine hundreds of meters (feet) deep in the popular mountain resort of Murree after its cable broke.

Ryan Fahey