BATTAGRAM: The nation remained glued to TV and mobile phone screens, looking on as locals, rescue workers and military personnel attempted to rescue eight people stuck in a chairlift suspended in mid-air after its cables snapped.

The 14-hour rescue operation, launched to save the people — mostly students — who were crossing a river in Allai tehsil of Battagram on Tuesday morning, concluded late at night when all eight on board the suspended chairlift were brought to safety.

An eyewitness told Dawn that one of the kids, who had a pre-existing medical condition, was moved to the hospital for examination. The rest of those recovered were given initial first-aid at a camp set up nearby by Rescue 1122 personnel, however all of those rescued were said to be in good health and spirits.

Locals hailed as heroes those who put their lives on the line for “no reward or recognition”.

All eight stuck on board dangling chairlift since Tuesday morning brought to safety by ‘heroic locals’, army choppers

PM Anwaarul Haq also confirmed the development. “Relie­ved to know that Alhamdolillah all the kids have been successfully and safely rescued. Great teamwork by the military, rescue departments, district administration as well as the local people,” he said in a tweet.

The chairlift, or cable car, had started dangling on the zipline after two of its three ropes sna­p­ped in the early morning, leaving the small trolley used for river crossing suspended in mid-air.

Initially, at least four helicopters were used by the army to try and reach the precariously positioned cable car. By the time the aerial operation was called off in the evening, two people had been rescued — one by the army and the other by locals.

After darkness fell, it was decided to continue efforts via alternative means and locals launched a rescue attempt from the ground — quite a risky proposition as it involved rescuers sliding along the remaining cables to approach the chairlift. Once within reach of the cable car, each of its occupants was secured by harnesses to a rescuer, who then rapelled them back to safety.

During the day, assistant commissioner Jawad Hussain told Dawn that the cable car was privately run by locals for transportation across the river in the absence of roads or bridges in the area.

The AC said that the first child was rescued with the help of a rope that was hooked onto a belt provided by rescuers to everyone in the cable car. Speaking about the aerial operation, the AC said helicopters struggled to hover over the suspended chairlift due to strong winds and inclement weather conditions.

He added that Rescue 1122 teams had also spread nets under the cable car, where it dangled over the raging river.

Gulfaraz, one of those who were stuck in the cable car, said that one of the str­a­n­ded students kept slipping in and out of unconsciousness during the ordeal. The 20-year-old said the trapped students were between the ages of 10 and 15 years.

Iqbal, a school teacher, explained that at least 150 students made the hazardous journey to school by cable car due to a lack of roads in the area.

“There are no other arrangements,” he lamented, adding that no such incident had occurred previously. The teacher further said that it had been around eight years since the cable car was installed and it was inspected on a monthly basis.

Published in Dawn, August 23rd, 2023