PESHAWAR, April 25: Ten people were killed when a cable of a chairlift used for crossing a river at Gijbori village in Battagram district snapped on Tuesday.

Villagers said that the accident occurred when the cable used for controlling the speed of the chairlift over Landai River broke and the chairlift, with accelerated speed, hit a pillar across the river, causing the death of 10 villagers.

Koza Banda police registered a case against the owner of the lift, Dost Mohammad, who ran away after the accident.

The lift was used by people of the village to reach a road across the river. It covered about 500 metres, about 500 metres above the river.

A Koza Banda police official told Dawn that several such lifts operated in the area because of lack of a bridge over the river. He said that there were no rules for operating the lifts.