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.
Watch: All eight people rescued from cable car hundreds of feet above Pakistan ravine
How the dramatic rescue of eight people dangling 900ft above ground unfolded
Eight people were pulled to safety on Tuesday after a dramatic rescue effort hauled them from a cable car left dangling 900ft (274m) above a ravine in northwest Pakistan.
One of the two cable lines carrying the car snapped at around 0700 local time [GMT 0200] as seven students were travelling to school alongside one adult in a remote mountainous area in Battagram, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, about 200km (124 miles) north of the capital Islamabad.
Despite a desperate rescue mission, most of the passengers were still trapped well into the night as the car clung to the lone cable, while local residents watched on anxiously from below and crowds gathered around televisions in offices, shops, restaurants and hospitals across Pakistan to watch the operation unfold.
Army commandos were called in as three helicopters initially scrambled to save those onboard, with efforts impeded by high winds and another rope some 30ft above the cable car.
Chris Stevenson and Andy Gregory report:
How the dramatic rescue of eight people trapped in a cable car unfolded in Pakistan
Six children and two adults saved in 16-hour long operation
Relief washes over the community as last of Pakistan students are rescued: ‘Entire valley is now filled with joy’
Late on Tuesday, when the rescue operation involving helicopters and zipliners finally brought home the last of the stranded students, relief washed over the community as families broke into hugs and slogans of “God is great” reverberated through the valley.
One villager identified as Janahzaib told the New York Times: “In that very instant, our comfort was found solely in our prayers. The entire valley is now filled with joy.”
While cable cars present a practical solution for the lack of conventional infrastructure in certain regions of Pakistan, safety concerns remain.
In 2017, an illicit cable car in Murree, Punjab, crashed, claiming the lives of 11 passengers.
Just last December, a cable car mishap occurred in Abbottabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where a rope snapped and 12 children were stranded and had to be rescued.
Pakistan cable car survivors recall harrowing details from 15-hour-long ordeal: ‘Thought it was my last day’
Some of the students who were stuck in a cable car suspended over a ravine in northwest Pakistan have spoken out about their 15-hour-long ordeal.
One of the survivors said that he “thought it was my last day and I will be no more”.
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,” Attaullah Shah was quoted as saying by AFP.
Read the full account of the survivors here:
Pakistan cable car survivors recall harrowing details from 15-hour-long ordeal
Seven students and one adult were stranded for around 15 hours with rescuers using military helicopters and zipliners to finally set them free
Local authorities undertake repair of the ill-fated cable car
Local authorities in Battagram, Pakistan were getting ready to undertake the repair of the malfunctioning cable car on Wednesday, it was reported.
The cause of the malfunction that risked the lives of at least eight individuals on Tuesday is still unknown.
Interim prime minister Anwaar ul-Haq Kakar expressed concern over the cable car’s failure and urged authorities to conduct safety checks on all private mountain chairlifts.
However, fear has gripped the villagers who use the cable car to travel long distances in the valley.
Ata Ullah, one of the survivors of the cable car ordeal told Associated Press: “I feel fear in my mind about using the cable car, but I have no other option. I will go to my school again when the cable car is repaired.”
‘I saw a miraculous rescue happening with my own eyes’
One of the survivors of the Pakistan cable car ordeal has called the rescue “miraculous”.
Fifteen-year-old Osama Sharif said: “I had heard stories about miracles, but I saw a miraculous rescue happening with my own eyes.”
He told the Associated Press: “We suddenly felt a jolt, and it all happened so suddenly that we thought all of us are going to die.
“We cried, and tears were in our eyes, as we feared the cable car will go down,” he added.
ICYMI: What happened inside the cable car as it dangled precariously above a ravine
The eight individuals, including several students, huddled together inside the cable car and prayed for their safety, CNN reported.
The passengers were on the way to their school when the cable snapped and left them hanging about 900ft in the air.
They reportedly huddled together in fear as their cries were left unheard. But after 15 hours – with the help of helicopters, zipliners and prayers — the group of eight were brought back to safety.
Are cable cars used in Pakistan safe?
Due to the absence of conventional infrastructure, improvised cable cars are utilised in distant regions of Pakistan. Despite the inherent risks, these cable cars serve as essential transportation solutions for communities with limited alternatives.
According to local media, these makeshift cable cars are commonly employed in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), Gilgit Baltistan, and eastern Mansehra. These regions encounter geographical obstacles and have limited infrastructure, including schools and roads.
Geo TV reported that the necessity of connecting communities in these isolated areas has driven locals to create these cable cars using leftover materials, often without formal permits.
These cable cars are often built by the local communities, primarily from discarded materials like those from pick-up trucks. These cabins are then attached to cables, sometimes made of scrap iron, using ropes.
While cable cars present a practical solution for the lack of conventional infrastructure in certain regions of Pakistan, safety concerns remain.
In 2017, an illicit cable car in Murree, Punjab, crashed, claiming the lives of 11 passengers.
Just last December, a cable car mishap occurred in Abbottabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where a rope snapped and 12 children were stranded and had to be rescued.
‘It was like doomsday’
On Tuesday, when the rescue operation was ongoing, the community that had seen several cable car accidents in the last few years felt like “doomsday”.
One of the relatives of a stranded Pakistan student was quoted as saying by the BBC that “it was like doomsday for the area”.
Fahim Udin Shah said: “Everyone rushed out of their homes. A kid from almost every household was here.”
The cause of the malfunction that risked the lives of at least eight individuals on Tuesday is still unknown.
Late yesterday, all eight individuals were successfully rescued after about 15 hours.
Watch: Eight people saved from cable car stuck dangling above canyon in Pakistan
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