Pakistan rescues the 6 children, 2 teachers trapped in cable car
An operation to rescue the eight people trapped in a cable car dangling 900 feet high in Pakistan proved successful, with crews rescuing all six children and two adults that had been trapped in the car.
The treacherous rescue took 14 hours and involved military helicopters and collaboration across rescue departments in the region.
“Relieved to know that Alhamdolillah all the kids have been successfully and safely rescued. Great team work by the military, rescue departments, district administration as well as the local people,” Pakistan’s caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar ul Haq Kakar said in a statement on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, per CNN.
What happened to the cable car in Pakistan?
One of the cables snapped while the car was moving across a river canyon, creating a precarious situation for the eight people trapped inside as the group was traveling to school Tuesday morning. Children frequently use the cable cars to get to and from school in the mountainous Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, according to The Associated Press.
The students are between the ages of 10 and 15 years old.
What made the Pakistan cable car rescue mission difficult?
The rescue mission was a delicate operation because of strong winds in the area and “because the wind created by the helicopters’ blades could further weaken cables holding the car aloft,” AP reported.
“With each attempt to bring the rescuer closer to the cable car using the helicopter, the gusts of wind from the rotor would jolt and unsettle the chairlift, causing the children to cry out in fear,” Mufti Ghulamullah, mayor of Allai borough, told The New York Times.
Some of the passengers had been in contact with relatives and the media using their cellphones from the cable car and reported that two of the students were “slipping in and out of consciousness.” They had no drinking water but were given nausea medication and heart related medications, per CNN.
What do we know about the Pashto village community?
The village region of Pashto is home to 30,000 people, and the situation has rocked the community as it watched to see if the people trapped inside wil be rescued.
“They are in front of us but we are helpless — observing them and unable to provide any help,” Mufti Hasan Zaib, the father of one of the children trapped in the cable car, told the Times.
Following the incident, Kakar demanded all “dilapidated and noncompliant chairlifts” to halt operations immediately, CNN reported.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
