SSG Operation In Battagram Results In The Rescue Of Two Kids From A Chairlift That Is Hanging Precariously
SSG Operation In Battagram Results In The Rescue Of Two Kids From A Chairlift That Is Hanging Precariously
August 22, 2023 / By Zunair Tahir / Pakistan News
Two of the gondola’s cables came down on Tuesday in Allai Tehsil, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Battagram district, trapping eight passengers inside for more than ten hours. Pakistani Army commandos were able to rescue two of the eight victims after they spent more than 10 hours trapped inside the cable car.
An army helicopter assisted in the rescue of two of the kids. However, because to the darkness and the windy conditions, the helicopter rescue attempt has been put on hold.
The army made the decision to launch a ground operation in order to use other methods to rescue the six individuals still trapped aboard the cable car.
To recover the passengers, a smaller-sized cable car has been suspended on the same cable. Additionally, food and water are being sent to individuals who are trapped via the other cable car.
The Pakistan Army has also requested assistance from a local cable crossings specialist.
According to Shariq Riaz Khattak, a rescue officer on the scene, the open cable car became stuck earlier in the morning halfway across a gorge and was dangling on just one cable after the other broke.
According to the first account of the event, seven students and one local were riding the cable car to the Batangi Government High School.
A cable in the lift apparently snapped at approximately 7:45 am, leaving the cable car stuck in midair.
Reaching a height of 6,000 feet, the cable car stops. The lift is jammed up, trapping Abrar, Irfan, Usama, Rizwan Ullah, Ataullah, Niaz Muhammad, Sher Nawaz, and Gul Faraz.
According to the report, the deputy commissioner for Battagram got in touch with the commissioner for Hazara after learning about the occurrence. The DC requested that a helicopter be set up. Additionally, the Kaghan Valley SSG team was notified, and the helicopter arrived at the destination at 11:45 a.m. At 2:00 pm, the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) chopper arrived at the location.
According to the report, the district administration, police, and two rescue teams are now on the scene. It further stated that the District Headquarter Hospital (DHQ) Battagram has been placed on high alert and that an emergency has been declared at the neighboring health institutes.
According to Punjab’s DG of Rescue, Dr. Rizwan Naseer, a height rescue team is also on call and prepared to assist.
Twenty-year-old Gulfaraz, who is a passenger on the cable car right now, told News over the phone that he and the other people on board had been stranded for more than six hours.
He mentioned that one of the passengers, a 16-year-old with a cardiac issue, had been comatose for the previous three hours. Gulfraz revealed that the adolescent was taking a cable car to the hospital.
“We don’t even have drinking water in the cable car,” he bemoaned.
According to Gulfaraz, the first wire snapped around 7 a.m., and a second cable failed shortly after.
The cable car mishap took place in Battagram’s Pashto neighborhood at 8:30 am, according to information provided by the PDMA.
According to the PDMA, the cable car travels through rainfall conduits in the midst of the mountains at a height of roughly two thousand meters.
The youngsters were taking the cable car to get to school in the hilly region of Battagram when they were trapped.
Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar, the acting prime minister, has called the event disturbing and ordered the provincial and national disaster management authorities to “urgently ensure safe rescue and evacuation of the 8 people stuck in the chairlift.”
Additionally, he said, “I have ordered the authorities to undertake safety checks of all such private chairlifts and make sure they are secure to operate and use.
According to Syed Jawad, a veteran pilot, the Pakistan Army Aviation is prepared to handle the scenario and has successfully carried out rescue missions in the past.
The Out of Ground Effect (OGE), which is a highly challenging technique, will be undertaken here in today’s operation, he said, creating a dilemma.
But he also pointed out that two military helicopters are prepared for just such a mission.
“The operation is conducted through the rope, which we refer to as a sling operation,” he declared.