Pakistan Army rescue operation underway to rescue 8 people trapped in chairlift in Batgram

News Desk Tuesday, August 22, 2023

A team of Pakistan Army’s Special Services Group (SSG) has kicked off a rescue operation to save eight people, including six schoolchildren, who were left stranded mid-air after the cable of a chairlift broke in Allai Tehsil in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Battagram district on Tuesday. Photo: X/Twitter

PESHAWAR: Eight people, including six school children, were trapped at an altitude of 6 feet when a chairlift rope broke at Pashto in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Batgram city.

According to details, the children were going to their school by chairlift at 7 am when two of the three ropes of the elevator broke and the chairlift got stuck at an altitude of about 900 feet.

Gulfaraz, who was trapped in the chairlift, said that six children and two people boarded the chairlift at 6 am, at 2 am the first one rope of the chairlift and then the second also broke, the chairlift went a mile and the first rope was broken.

He said that we have been waiting for help since morning, there are 8 of us in the chairlift, the children in it are between the ages of 10 and 13 years.

Gulfaraz said that we have been trapped in the elevator for 5 hours, a boy in the chairlift has been unconscious for three hours, this boy is suffering from heart disease and was going to the hospital, there are 8 of us in the elevator, we do not even have drinking water in the chairlift and the phone battery is also running out.

DIG Batgram Tahir Ayub Khan said that we have also sent a chairlift expert, the elevator is very high, it is eaten down and it is difficult to install the net.

An expert team of the Special Services Group (SSG) of the Pakistan Army is also taking part in the operation, the ISPR said.

According to the ISPR, the rescue helicopter of the Pakistan Army is moving as it approaches the lift, which is likely to make the dolly unbalanced, now the remaining options of rescue operation are under consideration.

ISPR said that this is a highly risky operation in which Pakistan Army troops are taking part with full dedication.

Operation extremely dangerous: Officials

Rescue helicopter of Pakistan Army reached Batgram and is doing recce of the area, after the recce, the rescue operation will be carried out very carefully, this is a very dangerous operation, the elevator can be broken due to imbalance and air pressure of the helicopter, so the situation is being reviewed very carefully.

Zafar Iqbal, a school teacher in the area, said that at 6 am, the students were coming to the school by chairlift, a child in the chairlift has become unconscious due to fear, who later regained consciousness.

Zafar Iqbal said that the helicopter has reached to rescue the people trapped in the chairlift, the rescue team has also reached the area from Shangla, the helicopter is reviewing near the chairlift.

According to DPO Batgram Sonia Shamroz, all efforts are being made to rescue those trapped in the elevator.

On the other hand, it is being told that the air pressure generated by the helicopter is also likely to break the wire left alone, so the rescue operation from the helicopter will be carried out very carefully.

Caretaker Prime Minister Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar has issued instructions to immediately stop the dilapidated, non-safety chairlifts, besides directing the immediate rescue of eight people trapped in the steerlift at Pashu in Batgram.

The Prime Minister has directed all the concerned rescue agencies including NDMA, PDMA to use all resources, besides Anwarul Haq Kakar has issued instructions to ensure security arrangements at all such chairlifts in the hilly areas.

According to the PDMA, the incident took place at 8:30 a.m. in The Pashato area, the chairlift is installed on the rain drain Jahangiri Khour in the middle of the mountains, while eight people are currently trapped in this lift.

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