Pakistani rescuers pulled seven children and one man to safety after their cable car became stranded high over a remote ravine on Tuesday (Aug 22), ending an ordeal lasting more than 15 hours. The high-risk operation in the northern part of Pakistan completed in the darkness of night after the cable car snagged early in the morning, leaving it hanging precariously at an angle all day.
“All the kids have been successfully and safely rescued,” caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar said in a post on messaging platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
“Great teamwork by the military, rescue departments, district administration as well as the local people.”
He earlier issued a directive for all chairlifts in mountainous areas to inspected and for those that are not safe to immediately closed.
A military helicopter rescue operation called off as night fell after two children had pulled to safety. Floodlights installed and a ground-based rescue continued
The rescue effort transfixed the country, with Pakistanis crowded around television sets, as media showed footage of an emergency worker dangling from a helicopter cable close to the small cabin, with those onboard cramped together.