Current:Home > InvestAll 8 people rescued from cable car dangling hundreds of feet above canyon in Pakistan, officials say-LoTradeCoin
All 8 people rescued from cable car dangling hundreds of feet above canyon in Pakistan, officials say
View Date:2024-12-24 00:24:59
Army commandos using helicopters and a makeshift chairlift rescued eight people from a broken cable car dangling hundreds of feet above a canyon Tuesday in a remote part of Pakistan, authorities said.
The six children and two adults became trapped earlier in the day when one of the cables snapped while the passengers were crossing a river canyon in Battagram district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The children had been on their way to school.
Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar congratulated the military and other rescuers for the success. The dramatic effort transfixed the country for hours as Pakistanis crowded around televisions in offices, shops, restaurants and hospitals.
"Relieved to know that ... all the kids have been successfully and safely rescued," Kakar said on social media. "Great team work by the military, rescue departments, district administration as well as the local people.
Because helicopters could not fly after sunset, rescuers eventually shifted from an airborne effort to a risky operation that involved using one cable that was still intact to approach the car with the chairlift.
Footage on TV stations showed a child in a harness being pulled to safety. The commandos' rope could be seen swaying in the wind against the mountainous landscape.
An expert described the helicopter rescues as extremely delicate because the wind generated by the helicopter blades could further weaken the remaining cables holding the car aloft.
Several military helicopters had earlier in the day flown reconnaissance sorties and an airman was lowered by harness to deliver food, water and medicine, Tanveer Ur Rehman, a local government official, told AFP.
"This is a delicate operation that demands meticulous accuracy. The helicopter can not approach the chairlift closely, as its downwash (air pressure) might snap the sole chain supporting it," he said.
Anxious crowds gathered on both sides of the ravine, which is several hours from any sizeable town.
"Every time the helicopter lowered the rescuer closer to the chairlift, the wind from the helicopter would shake and disbalance the chairlift making the children scream in fear," Ghulamullah, chairman of the Allai valley area, told Geo News.
As the rescued children were handed over to their families, most burst into tears, said Nazir Ahmed, a senior police officer who was present in the area where the air and ground rescue mission was launched.
"Everyone was praying for this moment," he said.
A statement released by Pakistan's army said military pilots demonstrated "exceptional skill and professionalism" during the rescue, the BBC reported. Local cable experts also helped.
The statement described the rescue as "unique" and "an operation of unprecedented difficulty."
Food and water were supplied to the car earlier in the day, said Bilal Faizi, a spokesperson for the state-run emergency service.
According to Pakistani TV stations, some of those trapped were in contact with their families by cellphone. Authorities said the two adults were consoling the children, who were between the ages of 11 and 15.
"For God's sake help us," a man stuck in the cable car told Pakistani television. "... One man has already fainted."
Villagers frequently use cable cars to get around Pakistan's mountainous regions. But the cars are often poorly maintained, and every year people die or are injured while traveling in them.
Kakar said he ordered safety inspections of the country's cable cars and chairlifts.
Helicopters were sent to attempt to pluck the people from the cable car but only after the group spent six hours precariously suspended 350 meters (1,150 feet) above ground, according to Taimoor Khan, a spokesman for the disaster management authority.
Several helicopters hovered above the scene, and ambulances gathered on the ground.
Tipu Sultan, a retired army brigadier and defense expert, warned that the helicopters themselves could make the situation worse but that the commandos would be well aware of that risk.
In 2017, 10 people were killed when a cable car fell into a ravine hundreds of meters (feet) deep in the popular mountain resort of Murree after its cable broke.
AFP contributed to this report.
- In:
- Pakistan
veryGood! (6467)
Related
- After entire police force resigns in small Oklahoma town, chief blames leaders, budget cuts
- Diamondbacks' Ketel Marte extends record hitting streak, named NLCS MVP
- Snow hits northern Cascades and Rockies in the first major storm of the season after a warm fall
- Mother of Muslim boy stabbed to death in alleged hate crime issues 1st remarks
- Chris Martin and Gwyneth Paltrow's Son Moses Martin Reveals His Singing Talents at Concert
- Marvin Jones Jr. stepping away from Lions to 'take care of personal family matters'
- Israel's war on Hamas sees deadly new strikes in Gaza as U.S. tries to slow invasion amid fear for hostages
- Parents like private school vouchers so much that demand is exceeding budgets in some states
- Police cruiser strikes and kills a bicyclist pulling a trailer in Vermont
- 'No Hard Feelings': Cast, where to watch comedy with Jennifer Lawrence, Andrew Barth Feldman
Ranking
- 'Treacherous conditions' in NYC: Firefighters battling record number of brush fires
- Georgia Supreme Court allows 6-week abortion ban to stand for now
- Florida officials ask US Supreme Court to block rulings limiting anti-drag show law
- California school district offering substitute teachers $500 per day to cross teachers' picket line
- Justine Bateman feels like she can breathe again in 'new era' after Trump win
- Indiana sheriff’s deputies fatally shoot man, 19, who shot at them, state police say
- Frances Bean, daughter of Kurt Cobain, marries Riley Hawk, son of Tony Hawk
- Hurricane Otis makes landfall in Mexico as Category 5 storm
Recommendation
-
Louisville officials mourn victims of 'unthinkable' plant explosion amid investigation
-
Bobi, the world's oldest dog, dies at 31
-
The downsides of self-checkout, and why retailers aren't expected to pull them out anytime soon
-
Israeli boy turns 9 in captivity, weeks after Hamas took him, his mother and grandparents
-
Republican Rep. Juan Ciscomani wins reelection to Arizona US House seat
-
In the time travel series 'Bodies,' one crime happens four times
-
Amazon's Holiday Beauty Haul Is Here: Save on COSRX, CHI & More
-
Mike Johnson, a staunch conservative from Louisiana, is elected House speaker with broad GOP support