Image: – (AFP)
Previously, special forces from the army had tried for hours to save the people in the gondola. However, when it got dark, the action was interrupted. In the evening, after close consultation with the military, helpers from the region used devices on the wire to the gondola and freed the children, as videos on social media showed. During the action, the gondola was only hanging on a single steel cable after two wires broke.
Hundreds of people, including relatives, gathered not far from the scene of the accident. The gondola is at a height of several hundred meters.
An eyewitness described the emergency as the toughest day of his life. “Mothers, fathers and other relatives had their eyes on the gondola floating in mid-air,” said the resident. When the first child was brought to safety, everyone erupted in joy. “We hope they will all return soon,” said the man.
In the afternoon (local time), several helicopters were still circling over the gorge in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Television footage Tuesday showed a commando rappelling himself from a military helicopter to the gondola. The cable car was only hanging on a steel cable after two wires broke in the morning. Some children were on their way to school.
“Had no drinking water”
A 20-year-old told the Pakistani TV station Geo TV from the gondola the dramatic hours. “We don’t even have drinking water,” complained the young man. A 16-year-old with heart problems collapsed and passed out for several hours. The boy was on his way to a clinic in the morning. It was initially unclear whether the 16-year-old was one of the first people to be rescued.
Initially, Pakistani media reported that the gondola was hanging on the wire at a height of 900 meters. The civil protection later corrected the number down to about 300 meters. The incident happened in Battagram district on a deep ravine.
In the northern mountain regions of Pakistan, many residents use cable cars every day on their way to school or work, for example to cross valleys or rivers. The cable cars are often poorly maintained. The road network is less developed.
Source: Nachrichten
