MANSEHRA: The district administration on Saturday placed a restriction on chairlifts in Torghar after nine passengers of a cable car were left dangling around 250 feet in the air over the Indus River for several hours as a supporting cable of a rope-tow snapped on Friday night.

“We have rescued nine people, including a woman and a minor boy, who remained stranded mid-air for over four hours,”Judbah Deputy Superintendent of Police Sardar Javed told reporters.

The indigenously-developed chairlift, installed over the Indus River, was travelling towards Bair village in Shangla district from the Kotli Nusratkhel area of Judbah, the district headquarters of Torghar, when one of its two supporting cables snapped.

The incident occurred at around 7pm due to overloading, as nine people and a motorbike were aboard.

Personnel of the police and Rescue 1122 and local volunteers rescued them at about 11pm.

Chairlift dangled over Indus River for hours ascable snapped

“The chairlift [locally known as Doli] was smoothly covering the distance when it jerked and one of its cables snapped, leaving us dangling mid-air over the Indus River,” Zahid Khan, a stranded passenger, told reporters.

He said that the passengers, except for the woman and child, were returning home after closing their shops.

Following the rescue operation, led by deputy commissioner Safdar Azam Qurashi, doctors and Rescue 1122 personnel provided care to all passengers.

The deputy commissioner later ordered the suspension of all chairlift operations in the district and constituted inspection committees.

“To ensure public safety and prevent any untoward incidents, the operation of all chairlifts within the jurisdiction of Torghar district is suspended with immediate effect. Committees at the tehsil level have been formed to inspect them,” read a notification issued by the DC.

Every five-member committee will consist of the assistant commissioner, tehsil municipal officer, sub-divisional officer of the communication and works department, and two representatives of Rescue 1122 and the police department.

“No chairlift will be allowed to resume operations without obtaining a clearance certificate from the district administration,” the notification also read.

Rescue 1122 announced that passengers included Mohammad Zahid, Mohammad Hanif, Mohammad Khafiroon, Qasim Jan, Afghan Khan, Bakhti Khan, Mohammad Yadoono, and an unidentified woman and a minor child.

Published in Dawn, April 27th, 2025