Eight people who were stuck in a cable car in Pakistan dangling over 1,000 feet over a canyon for more than 15 hours were saved.
Six children and two adults on their way to school were left dangling 1,150 feet (350 meters) in the air for six hours after one of the cables broke, according to The Associated Press. The group of people was reportedly trapped for hours before helicopters arrived. The “unique operation” involving military commandos went on into the evening hours until all of the children had been pulled to safety, according to Reuters.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Anwaar ul Haq Kakar expressed his relief in a post on Twitter that “all the kids” had been “successfully and safely rescued” and congratulated the military and rescue officials on their success.
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. 🇵🇰 https://t.co/2gPq2Q51Xi
— Anwaar ul Haq Kakar (@anwaar_kakar) August 22, 2023
The rescue mission had initially been complicated not only by high winds in the area but also due to the helicopter’s blades which could possibly further weaken the other string on the cable car, Shariq Riaz Khattak told Reuters. (RELATED: At Least 30 Killed, 60 Injured In Train Derailment Abroad)
Two of the children were able to be rescued by a helicopter mission in the late afternoon. Local television footage showed one of the children being lifted from the cable car in a harness and taken to the ground.
“An extremely difficult and complicated operation has been successfully completed by the Pakistan military,” the military said in a statement.
As the children were reunited with their families, Nazir Ahmed, a senior police officer said that “everyone was praying for this moment.” Ahmed described people hugging the military commandos and bursting into tears.
Earlier in the day, one of the passengers, 20-year-old Gulfaraz, shared with Geo News in a phone interview that a 16-year-old passenger had passed out and been unconscious for three hours. The 16-year-old reportedly has a heart condition and had been on his way to the hospital via the cable car.
“We don’t even have drinking water in the chairlift,” Gulfaraz shared, explaining that the first cable had broken after they had traveled a mile.