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
Support truly
independent journalism
Our mission is to deliver unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds power to account and exposes the truth.
Whether $5 or $50, every contribution counts.
Support us to deliver journalism without an agenda.
Louise Thomas
Editor
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.
Nightfall sees helicopter mission 'called off, as ground operations continue’
The Army has called off the helicopter rescue operation as night fell, officials have been reported as saying.
Flood lights were installed on the ground and the rescue operation was continuing, a security source told Reuters news agency.
The source added that cable crossing experts had been sent to the area and a small dolly carrier was being attached to the cable to rescue the children one by one, more than 12 hours after their cable car snagged.
Rescue by trolley easier than helicopter at night, says former army general
Now that night has fallen, it will be easier to use a rescue trolley to bring those remaining on the cable car back to solid ground, as opposed to attempting to use helicopters, a retired Pakistan army general has said.
Such an effort, using a smaller cable car to reach those who are trapped, will need to be done “with great care”, Talaat Masood told the BBC.
“But it is a lesser challenge than it would have been if it was a helicopter transfer at night,” he added.
Trolley experts being sent to area of incident, reports suggest
The military is sending cable crossing experts to the area who will try to rescue the children one by one by transferring them one by one on a small trolley along the cable, a security source has told Reuters.
Local residents said community members from surrounding areas who had experience rescuing people this way had also arrived.
“It is a slow and risky operation. One person needs to tie himself with a rope and he will go in a small chairlift and rescue them one by one,” Abdul Nasir Khan, a nearby resident, told the news agency.
Breaking: ‘Total of five children' rescued so far from cable car
A total of five children have now been rescued from the cable car, Pakistan’s military has said.
“Three more children have been rescued in Pakistan army’s rescue operation,” the military said, after the helicopters leading prior efforts were withdrawn as night fell.
“Five children have been rescued so far. Operation is continuing.”
Pakistan’s interim PM ‘closely monitoring the rescue'
Pakistan’s caretaker prime minister has said he is “closely monitoring and tracking the rescue efforts”.
“I am happy that progress is being made, and thanks to the efforts of our army personnel, Air Force, rescue organisations, district administration and others, students stuck in the chairlift have started returning to the ground safely,” Anwaar ul Haq Kakar wrote on Twitter/X.
“I’ll keep monitoring closely till the completion of the rescue operation, insha Allah.”
Footage appears to show locals pulling children to safety by hand
Footage shared to social media appears to show one of the recently rescued children being pulled by hand along the wire by locals in Battagram, some of whom shouted “God is great” as they were brought to safety.
Children rescued in race to save children trapped in cable car dangling 900ft over Pakistan ravine
Rescue teams in Pakistan have pulled several children to safety after they became trapped inside a cable car dangling for more than 12 hours at least 900ft (274m) above a ravine, but a number of people still reman stuck.
A helicopter operation was called off as darkness fell, but ground operations were set to continue to rescue the at least six children present in the car. Officials gave different reports on whether there were seven schoolchildren trapped along with a teacher, or six children and two adults.
Our international editor Chris Stevenson has the full report here:
Five rescued in races to save children trapped in cable car dangling over ravine
In total, eight people were trapped after a cable snapped
Breaking: All those left dangling over ravine saved in heroic rescue
All eight of those left trapped in the cable car have now been rescued, senior officials have said – more than 15 hours after the ordeal began.
Not long after Pakistan’s military announced that five children had been rescued, interim interior minister Senator Sarfraz Bugti wrote on Twitter/X: “Thankful to Allah that the rescue process at Battagram has successfully concluded.
“All appreciation for our valiant armed forces personnel, administration & locals for their selflessness and determination in carrying out this complex operation.”
Pictured: Local residents appear to help pull individuals to safety
Here is a still from some of the footage circulating on social media, shared by Spanish news agency EFE’s Pakistan correspondent, which appears to show people being pulled to safety by local residents:
Military says ‘extremely difficult and complicated operation’ is completed
“An extremely difficult and complicated operation has been successfully completed by the Pakistan military,” the military said in a statement.
“All stranded persons were safely evacuated and moved to a safe place ... Civil administration and locals also actively came forward to participate in this operation.”
A video shared by a rescue agency official showed more than a dozen rescuers and locals lined up near the edge of the dark ravine, pulling on a cable until a boy attached to it by a harness reached the hillside safely to cries of “God is great”.
“It is a slow and risky operation. One person needs to tie himself with a rope and he will go in a small chairlift and rescue them one by one,” said Abdul Nasir Khan, a resident.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments