Rescue operation continues after students’ cable car dangles over Pakistan ravine

The Pakistani army airdropped food and water to the stranded students in a cable car dangling over a ravine in north-western Pakistan as rescuers are struggling to rescue the trapped people, Anadolu Agency reports.

At least seven schoolchildren and an adult in north-western Pakistan were stranded in the air at 8 a.m. local time (0300GMT), on Tuesday after the wire of a cable car snapped in the Batgram district of north-western Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which borders neighbouring Afghanistan.

Two of the schoolchildren are unconscious, and immediately require medical aid, Gul Faraz, one of the trapped passengers, told local broadcaster Geo News by telephone.

Pakistani army’s commandoes, backed by three helicopters, are taking part in the delicate operation as gusty winds are hindering the rescue efforts, Khewa Gul, a local administration official told reporters.

“Operation needs to be completed before sunset, otherwise it will be very difficult to save the trapped passengers,” he apprehended.

Footage aired on Geo News showed a helicopter hovering above the cable car and an army commando trying to reach the stranded passengers with a rope.

Pakistan Army Aviation helicopter and Special Service Group (SSG) personnel carry out a damage and risk assessment in preparations for a rescue operation at #Battagram cable car incident site@OfficialDGISPR #PakistanArmy #ISPR pic.twitter.com/yr7UhslCrI

— Pakistan Armed Forces News 🇵🇰 (@PakistanFauj) August 22, 2023

Rescuers have had a difficult time rescuing the stuck passengers due to heavy winds and height.

Earlier, Mufti Gulamullah, a local official said: “Mid-air, two wires of the cable car snapped, leaving them (schoolchildren) stuck at a height of approximately 3,000 feet (approx. 914 meters).”

The locally-built cable car known as “doli” is privately run by residents for transportation across a local river as there are no roads or bridges in the area.

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