Pakistan cable car – live: 15-year-old survivor says dramatic rescue gives him ‘a second life’

Rescuers pulled those trapped along zipwire by hand after military helicopters stood down for night

Pakistan cable car video

A student who was stuck in a cable car suspended over a ravine in northwest Pakistan has spoken out about the 15-hour ordeal.

“I thought it was my last day and I will be no more,” Attaullah Shah was quoted as saying by AFP.

The 15-year-old, one of seven students travelling on the chairlift when one of its cables snapped, expressed gratitude for having survived the incident. “God has granted me a second life,” he said.

The families of the students rescued from the broken-down cable car erupted with joy as the last child was freed late last night, an official said.

Night fell as the first of the students was rescued and it was several more hours until the cable car was finally cleared of passengers.

“People kept praying until the last person was rescued,” emergency official Waqar Ahmad told AFP. “Once everyone had been rescued, the families started crying with joy and hugging each other.”

Pakistan’s government confirmed the rescue mission was complete some 15 hours after the car first got stuck, and declared inspections of cable cars will be carried out across the country.

Key Points

• ‘I saw a miraculous rescue happening with my own eyes’
• Full report: Eight people saved in 16-hour rescue operation
• In Pictures: How the 15-hour-long ‘unique’ rescue unfolded in Pakistan’s Battagram
• Relief washes over the community as last of Pakistan students are rescued: ‘Entire valley is now filled with joy’
• Ground rescue operation replaced helicopters as night fell
• One child in cable car fainted, officials said

[22 August 2023 13:44 · Andy Gregory]

News of rescue watched avidly across Pakistan

Relatives of those trapped in the chairlift were reported to be praying while anxiously watching the rescue operation unfold.

The rescue has also transfixed people across the Pakistan, who crowded around televisions in offices, shops, restaurants and hospitals, according to the Associated Press.

People were watching a news channel broadcasting information about the rescue, at a barber shop in Lahore (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)

[22 August 2023 13:49 · Andy Gregory]

Third helicopter set to be launched shortly, rescue official says

A third helicopter will be launched shortly, a rescue official at the site has told Reuters.

While two such aircraft are already at the scene, so far two attempts at a rescue have been aborted – with a cable 30 feet above the cable car said to be impeding the operation.

Commandos hanging from a helicopter had managed to get close to the car, but were unable to rescue those on board, with sundown expected at about 7pm local time (3pm BST).

Bilal Fiazi, a spokesperson for the 1122 rescue service, the country’s largest, said the commandos had managed to get food and medicine to them.

“The terrain below is difficult given the peaks and the river flowing underneath in the valley,” he added.

[22 August 2023 13:57 · Andy Gregory]

Cable car suspended hundreds of feet above ravine

Here are some images taken from the scene, where helicopters have been involved in a bid to rescue those trapped in the cable car.

Experts have warned that their efforts are complicated by fears that the strong gusts generated by the helicopters could destabilise the cable car.

Army commandos could be seen on local TV trying to lower themselves on ropes from the helicopters toward the cable car, with water and food reported to have been distributed to the stranded individuals.

(Umeed Sahar/via REUTERS)

(Umeed Sahar via REUTERS)

[22 August 2023 14:12 · Andy Gregory]

Conflicting reports over numbers of adults and children trapped on cable car

There has been some confusion over how many adults and children are trapped in the cable car.

While most outlets are reporting that there are six children and two adults, Muzaffar Khan, a district administration official in Battagram, said there were seven students and one teacher aboard.

Reuters cited remarks by a 20-year-old who is on the gondola and spoke by mobile phone to local television channel Geo News, who appears to be a student – which may account for the confusion over the numbers of adults, children, teachers and students.

The 20-year-old, named Gulfaraz, said there were six students onboard, aged between 10 to 16 years old, and that a 16-year-old had fainted due to anxiety, Geo News reported.

[22 August 2023 14:53 · Andy Gregory]

Breaking: Two students rescued from cable car

Rescuers have rescued two children from the stranded cable car, a rescue agency spokesperson and a district official said.

Five students and one teacher are still onboard the cable car waiting to be rescued.

[22 August 2023 14:55 · Andy Gregory]

Watch moment Pakistan cable car rescue team winch child to safety captured in dramatic video footage

Footage appears to show the dramatic moment one of six children stuck in a cable car in Pakistan was winched to safety today.

You can see the clip here:

[22 August 2023 15:00 · Andy Gregory]

Military commandos free first two children, as sundown imminent

It is a helicopter operation by military commandos which has freed the first two children from the cable car, Bilal Faizi, spokesperson for the emergency services, is quoted as saying by the Associated Press.

Sundown is expected imminently, but the rescue operation was expected to continue under cover of darkness.

[22 August 2023 15:10 · Andy Gregory]

Video report: Rescuer dangles over ravine as he tries to help children trapped in cable car

[22 August 2023 15:23 · Martha Mchardy]

Four children rescued from cable car

Four children have been rescued from the cable car, according to reports.

Pakistan’s military rescued four children, one by one, district official Shah Fahad said.

The rescue operation is still ongoing for the remaining three children and one teacher still trapped.

[22 August 2023 15:30 · Martha Mchardy]

Rescue mission ‘incredibly delicate,’ says expert

An expert has warned the rescue is incredibly delicate because the wind created by the helicopters’ blades could further weaken cables holding the car aloft.

Tipu Sultan, a retired army brigadier and defence expert, warned that the helicopters themselves could make the situation worse but that the army commandos would be well aware of that risk.