Incredible moment locals rescue child from Pakistan cable car in darkness, as all eight passengers saved
22 August 2023, 19:08 | Updated: 22 August 2023, 21:34
All eight people rescued from cable car hundreds of feet above Pakistan canyon
This is the incredible moment local people hauled a child back to safety from a cable car in northern Pakistan, with officials announcing that all eight passengers had been rescued.
Listen to this article
Loading audio...
Eight people, including six children, were in the chairlift on the way to school in Battagram when one of the cables snapped at around 7am local time (11am UK time).
They were left dangling 1,200 metres above a ravine and fearing for their lives.
The children were between the ages of 10 and 15. One of the adults was thought to be a teacher.
Two children had been rescued by helicopter before night fell and the air rescue had to be called off.
But locals continued to try to haul the remaining passengers in on a makeshift chairlift, eventually pulling them to safety.
Read More: Rescuers save eight people trapped in cable car dangling above canyon in Pakistan
Senator Sarfraz Bugti said: “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.”
The UK's high commissioner to Pakistan Jane Marriott said: "A huge relief that all those caught up in the cable car incident in Battagram are now safely back on the ground.
"Thank you to all those who worked tirelessly to make this happen."
A shocking clip of the first child being rescued showed him dangling from the helicopter as it gradually flew off to safety.
The child gripped a safety rope tightly while he appeared strapped in a harness, as he hung thousands of feet from the ground.
Among the group were six schoolchildren aged between 10 and 16, Gulfaraz, a 20-year-old who is also on the chairlift, told Geo News.
He said the first wire broke at 7am while another broke down soon after.
"For God's sake help us," he said, adding: “We don't even have drinking water in the chairlift."
A 16-year-old, who suffers with a heart condition, had been unconscious for three hours, Gulfaraz said.
