Another team of the Pakistan Army’s Special Services Group (SSG) is on the way to the Allai tehsil of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Battagram where six schoolchildren are among eight people stuck in a cable car after two of its wires snapped early morning on Tuesday.
Assistant Commissioner Jawad Hussain confirmed the update to Dawn.com, adding that troops of the military’s rapid response force are also on the ground.
Earlier, two helicopters belonging to the Pakistan Army and the Pakistan Air Force arrived at the site for a rescue operation. Two attempts were made to move towards the cable car. One of the helicopters has now moved away.
Meanwhile, a Dawn.com correspondent present at the site said the second backup helicopter that continued to hover above the cable car also left after a while. Later, he said, he could see a helicopter approaching the cable car with a “net”.
Shariq Riaz Khattak, a rescue official, told Reuters that the rescue mission is complicated due to gusty winds in the area and the fact the helicopters’ rotor blades risk further destabilising the lift. Moreover, sunset in Battagram is expected at 6:48pm.
Similarly, Ghulamullah, chairman of the Allai valley area, told Geo News that “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”.
Tanveer Ur Rehman, a local government official, explained to AFP that “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”.
Meanwhile, AC Hussain said: “If the helicopters fail to rescue the passengers, Rescue 1122 teams will make efforts from the ground via a snorkel.
“We have also called locals from Shangla’s Besham who have experience in conducting similar rescue operations near the Diamer Bhasha dam.”
He added that Rescue 1122 teams are meanwhile trying to spread nets under the cable car.
The incident occurred in the Allai tehsil early morning — estimated between 7am and 8am — when six students and two locals were on the way to school.
They got stuck when two wires of the cable car snapped, the assistant commissioner said, adding that the cable car was privately run by locals for transportation across rivers as there were no roads or bridges in the area.
The cable car is dangling in the middle of a deep ravine surrounded by towering mountains and a rocky surface, along with the Jhangri river beneath it.
Details regarding the height at which the passengers are stuck is not yet clear. The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) estimated it to be 1,000-2,000ft.
AC Hussain told Dawn.com that the local administration along with Rescue 1122 teams were present at the spot, but due to the height and the hilly terrain, it was not possible for rescue officials to carry out a relief operation.
He said immediately after the incident was reported, a request was sent to the provincial chief secretary for a helicopter to rescue the passengers.
A little before noon, nearly four hours after the children got stuck, television footage showed a Pakistan Army helicopter arriving at the site. It surveyed the area for 15 minutes and later returned.
Student speaks to media from cable car
Talking to Geo News, Gulfaraz, one of the passengers stuck in the cable car, said two of the students aboard were slipping in an out of unconsciousness.
The 20-year-old said the stuck students were between the ages of 10 and 15 years.
Gulfaraz urged the state authorities to take action keeping “human empathy and human life” in mind. He added, “People in our area are standing here and crying”.
When asked if the students had any food items with them, Gulfaraz replied they did not even have drinking water: “Where will food items come from? […] There is a great need for drinking water.”
He added that his mobile battery was also low while others had a “simple mobile phone”.
PM asks authorities to utilise all resources for rescue operation
Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar has directed authorities to immediately rescue the trapped people. according to media reports.
It said the premier has directed the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), the KP Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) and all relevant rescue agencies to rescue students and teachers by utilising all resources.
He further instructed that the “safety arrangements on all such chairlifts in the hilly areas” be ensured and directed to immediately close the chairlifts which are in dilapidated condition and do not meet safety standards, the report added.
