Topline
Authorities in Pakistan deployed military personnel and helicopters in an attempt to rescue eight people, including six children, who are stuck onboard a cable car in the country’s northern region as it precariously hangs over a deep valley after two of its cables snapped early Tuesday.
People watch as an army soldier slings down from a helicopter during a rescue mission to recover … [+]
Key Facts
The incident took place at around 7 a.m. local time on Tuesday in the northern town of Battagram as six children were on their way to school along with two adults, the Pakistani daily Dawn reported.
All eight on board got stuck after two wires attached to the cable car snapped, leaving it to hang dangerously over a valley.
The exact height at which the car is stuck is unclear, with various reports quoting between 900 feet and 2,000 feet.
Pakistan’s government has deployed two army helicopters to rescue those inside, who have been stuck for more than eight hours.
Pakistani broadcaster Geo News was able to get in touch with a 20-year-old man stuck onboard the car who said one of the passengers, a 16-year-old, suffers from a heart condition and has been unconscious for three hours.
The person pleaded for help and said they don’t have drinking water onboard and the battery on their phones was now running low.
Big Number
150. That is the approximate number of students who use the cable car every day to travel to school, according to Dawn. The car is operated privately and is a necessity in the mountainous region due to the lack of roads and bridges.
Crucial Quote
Pakistan’s caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar tweeted: “The chairlift accident in Battagram, KP is really alarming.” He added that he had directed the relevant authorities to “urgently ensure safe rescue and evacuation of the 8 people stuck in the chairlift,” and “conduct safety inspections of all such private chairlifts and ensure that they are safe to operate and use.”
Further Reading
Rescue operation begins to recover passengers stuck in broken cable car for over 6 hours in KP’s Battagram (Dawn)
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