Pakistan's military rescues 2 children from gondola trapped nearly 1,000 feet up after cable snaps
Military special forces, helicopters involved in rescue operation in Battagram, north of Islamabad
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Pakistan's military has rescued two children from a gondola that is dangling nearly 1,000 feet in the air after a cable connected to it snapped, reports say.
Five students and one teacher remain stuck onboard the gondola in a mountainous area in Battagram, located about 125 miles north of the capital of Islamabad, officials told Reuters.
An image posted by Pakistan's National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) on X, formerly known as Twitter, showed a black object suspended high above a ravine. Local media later broadcast video of an emergency worker hanging from a helicopter cable close to the gondola, according to Reuters.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The children and teachers reportedly were taking the gondola to get to school Tuesday and so far two students have been rescued after it became stuck, officials told the news agency. As of nightfall, the helicopter rescue operation was suspended for the day, but floodlights have been installed and a ground-based effort is still ongoing, Reuters added, citing a security source.
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A gondola is seen dangling in the air in Pakistan on Tuesday, Aug. 22. (Reuters/Umeed Sahar)
The gondola is stuck about 900 feet in the air, according to the NDMA.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"One child has fainted due to heat and fear," rescue official Shariq Riaz Khattak told Reuters at the scene, describing how the gondola became stuck halfway across the ravine and is hanging on by a single cable after the other one attached to it snapped.
Khattak added that the rescue operation – which involves Pakistan military helicopters – is being hampered due to gusty winds in the area and the possibility of the helicopters’ rotors destabilizing the stricken gondola, according to Reuters.
A security official told Reuters that special forces troops are also involved in the "extremely dangerous and risky operation."
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A crowd gathers in Battagram, Pakistan as the gondola and helicopter can be seen in the air. (Reuters/Umeed Sahar)
"All efforts are being made by Pakistan army to rescue the stranded people in the lift," that official reportedly said.
In a post on X, Pakistan's caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar described the situation as "really alarming."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I have directed the NDMA, [Provincial Disaster Management Agency] PDMA and district authorities to urgently ensure safe rescue and evacuation of the 8 people stuck in the chairlift," he said.
The gondola stuck in Battagram, Pakistan, is nearly 1,000 feet up in the air, Pakistan's National Disaster Management Authority says. (NDMA Pakistan)
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"I have also directed the authorities to conduct safety inspections of all such private chairlifts and ensure that they are safe to operate and use," Kakar added.