Six children among 8 trapped in Pakistan cable car, army begins rescue ops
Pakistan, August 22: Eight people including six children have been trapped in a cable car dangling over a valley in Pakistan. A rescue operation is underway.
The cable snapped, leaving the car hanging 274 meters (900 feet) above the ground. According to officials, the cable is "suspended by a single rope" at the moment. The incident occurred about 07:00 local time (02:00 GMT) as the children were walking to school in a mountainous area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
Anwaar ul Haq Kakar, Pakistan's caretaker prime minister, has urged rescuers to attend to the "alarming" incident, stating he has directed officials "to urgently ensure safe rescue and evacuation of the eight people trapped in the chairlift."
He also directed that "safety inspections of all such private chairlifts be conducted to ensure that they are safe to operate and use."
This comes as military helicopters arrive on the site as the army begins the rescue operation in Battagram with two helicopters.
Videos widely shared on social media show a "commando" descending from a helicopter to the cable car below. According to GeoNews, the commando initially descended to the cable car to give the individuals inside instructions but was forced to leave owing to severe winds in the area.
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- With inputs from agencies
