Locals have started moving towards the stranded chairlift in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Battagram district on their own after the airlift operation of the Pakistan Army was called off.
Six people still remain inside the cable car dangling thousands of feet in the air above a ravine.
Videos of locals trying to rescue their loved ones manually are going viral on social media.
Here are some videos of the rescue:
Locals in #Battagram continue the #RescueOperation for the children still stuck in the #chairlift. pic.twitter.com/rM7j98qfPU
— Hamza Azhar Salam (@HamzaAzhrSalam) August 22, 2023
People of #Battagram are still carrying out the operation to save children. They must be appreciated. They will get succeed InshaAllah. pic.twitter.com/RiJ3os8pVB
— Fazal Abbas (@FazalSamtiah) August 22, 2023
A brave local connects himself to the cable in a desperate bid to save the remaining children in the #chairlift in #Battagram. pic.twitter.com/kPLrFZfSra
— Hamza Azhar Salam (@HamzaAzhrSalam) August 22, 2023
The Real Hero ❤️❤️????
#Battagram pic.twitter.com/a1EpydHOST— ???? ???? ???? م ???? ???? ???? ر (@sham__Aly) August 22, 2023
An initial report of the incident said that seven schoolchildren and a local person were travelling in the cable car to go to the Batangi Government High School.
According to the report, one cable of the gondola broke at around 7:45am which led to the cable car being stranded mid-air.
The cable car hands at a height of 6,000 feet. Abrar, Irfan, Usama, Rizwan Ullah, Ataullah, Niaz Muhammad, Sher Nawaz and Gul Faraz are stuck inside the lift.
The report said that Battagram’s deputy commissioner contacted Hazara’s commissioner after he received report about the incident. The DC asked for the arrangement of a helicopter. Moreover, the SSG team based in Kaghan Valley was also contacted after which the helicopter reached the location at 11:45am. Meanwhile, the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) helicopter reached the site at 2pm.
