Battagram chairlift: all trapped individuals rescued, operation completed

ISLAMABAD:  In a significant breakthrough, Pakistan army’s SSG commandoes successfully rescued all eight individuals including six children and two teachers who had trapped on the chairlift in the Allai tehsil of Battagram in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The army’s media wing the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said said that all the eight persons trapped in a gondola dangling 274 metres (900 feet) above a ravine after a cable snapped have been rescued. 

The operation’s successful conclusion was also confirmed in a statement by Rescue 1122 after 12 hours following the commencement of the rescue operation.

Earlier, the ISPR said that the names of the five rescued individuals were Irfan, son of Amirz; Niaz Muhammad, son of Umar Zeib; 3. Rizwan, son of Abdul Qayyum; Gulfaraz, son of Hakeem Daud and Sher Nawaz, son of Shah Nazar.

The operation, led by the commander of the Special Services Group (SSG) General Officer Commanding (GOC) involved not only the rescue of the individuals but also the coordination of the entire operation, the ISPR said.

Due to the potential risks posed by the weather conditions, the helicopter-based rescue operation was earlier suspended as night fell. However, the operation remained continued through alternatives means and conducted from the ground.

What Else: 

Earlier, rescue officials said that an “extremely risky” helicopter rescue mission was hampered by high winds.

Officials said earlier that the children, who had been stranded since 7am were using the gondola to get to school in a mountainous area in the Allai area of Battagram.

“A chairlift stuck at a height of about 900 ft midway due to breakage in one of its cables in Battagram. Eight persons including six children stranded,” the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said earlier in a statement.

The statement said NDMA had provided coordination support to Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA). “After coordination, a Pak Army helicopter has been dispatched for the rescue operation,” it added.

According to Allai tehsil Chairman Mufti Gulamullah, the incident occurred at 8am when the children were on the way to school.

But mid-air, two wires of the cable car snapped leaving them stuck at a height of approximately 3,000 feet, he said, adding that the cable was privately run by locals for transportation across the river as there were no roads or bridges in the area.

Zafar Iqbal, a school teacher, said that the students were coming to the school by the chairlift.

“The chairlift is used to go from one place to another. In this area, 150 children come to school by chairlift,” he said, confirming that two wires of the cable car broke down mid-air.

Pakistan‘s National Disaster Management Authority said in a statement that a cable had broken in the lift service and two army helicopters had been dispatched for a rescue operation after attempts at fixing the fault had been unsuccessful.

The gondola became stranded half way across a ravine and was dangling by a single cable after the other snapped, Shariq Riaz Khattak a rescue official at the site told Reuters.

“One child has fainted due to heat and fear,” Khattak said.

The rescue mission is complicated due to gusty winds in the area and the fact the helicopters’ rotor blades risk further destabilising the lift, he said.

The military helicopters are both hovering near the stranded cable car, he added.

One security official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said special services troops, trained in sling operations, are involved in this “extremely dangerous and risky operation”.

Sling operations are aerial operations where large loads are moved in geographically difficult terrains.

“All efforts are being made by Pakistan army to rescue the stranded people in the lift.”

People who live in the northern mountainous regions of Pakistan often use chair lifts for transport from one village to another.

Abdul Nasir Khan, a local resident, said the children were going to a high school in Batangai in Allai.

Pak Army to continue rescue operation at night from the ground: 

The Pakistan army said that it will continue the rescue operation at night from the ground. A final attempt is being made to complete the rescue operation before nightfall, considering the potential risks associated with prevailing weather conditions. The decision has been made to sustain the rescue operation during the nighttime.

GOC of Special Services Group (SSG) is leading the operation.

PM directs for immediate rescue

Meanwhile, Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar has directed to immediate rescue the eight persons trapped in a chairlift at the Pashto area in Battagram.

According to a statement released by the Prime Minister’s office, the Prime Minister directed the National Disaster Management Authority, Provincial Disaster Management Authority and all relevant rescue agencies to rescue students and teachers by utilizing all resources.

The Prime Minister also instructed to ensure safety arrangements on all such chairlifts in the hilly areas. He directed to immediately close the chairlifts which are in dilapidated condition and do not meet the safety standards.

Meanwhile, KP Provincial Disaster Management Authority Public Relations Officer Taimor Khan said a rescue helicopter has departed from Peshawar for Allai.

A little before noon, nearly four hours after the children got stuck, television footage showed a helicopter arriving at the site .

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), the interior ministry said that interim Interior Minister Sarfraz Bugti had issued directives to speed up the operation.

نگران وزیر داخلہ سرفراز احمد بگٹی کی بٹگرام چیئر لفٹ میں پھنسے بچوں اور اساتذہ کو بچانے کیلئے ریسکیو آپریشن تیز کرنے کی ہدایت

وزیر اعظم کی ہدایت پر پاک فوج کو ریسکیو آپریشن میں شامل ہونے کی درخواست

ریسکیو آپریشن میں تمام وسائل برائے کار لائے جائیں@PakSarfrazbugti

— Ministry of Interior GoP (@MOIofficialGoP) August 22, 2023

RISKY

Meanwhile, army helicopters are trying to rescue the children and adults stuck on the lift with the help of the ‘Sling Team’ of the Special Services Group (SSG) commandos. Rescue officials say the moment the helicopter comes near the chairlift, it starts to move frantically mid-air hence the operation is risky.

“The gondola is hanging by a single rope. High wind paired with helicopter thrust makes it a very dangerous feat to pull as it starts to swing everytime,” says an official. Additional input Reuters.

This is a developing story…