Battagram Chairlift: Rescue operation underway by Army Aviation with support of SSG commandos

A rescue operation underway by Army Aviation with the support of SSG commandos to save eight people stuck in a cable car after two of its wires snapped early morning on Tuesday in Khyber Pakhunkhwa’s Battagram area.

• The two helicopters belonging to the Pakistan Army and the Pakistan Air Force are at the site.
• The operation is being conducted by the armed forces special unit.
• A commando of the sling team from a helicopter took access to the chair lift very skillfully 8 hours after the incident
  
• Water and food were thrown in the chairlift for the stranded people.

According to the officials say six schoolchildren among eight people in a cable car stuck mid-air at a height approximated to be 1,000-2,000ft.

The incident was confirmed by Mansehra Deputy Inspector General of Police Tahir Ayub who said there is no option but to rescue the stranded passengers through a helicopter.

All eyes in the country are set on the rescue mission which is the most difficult and complicated.

The gusty winds in the area and the fact the helicopters’ rotor blades risk further destabilizing the lift.

The open chair lift is stranded halfway across a ravine, hanging by a single cable after the other snapped early in the morning.

Wing Commander (retd) Asim Nawaz informed the sling operation should be started at the earliest.

“There is a possibility of bad weather in this area. It is better if the helicopter is 60 to 80 feet away from the chairlift,” he said.

Speaking about the operation, the former military officer said that a commando will approach closer to the chairlift during the sling operation.

“We have the highest risk of weather conditions, this is the region, if the clouds come here, it becomes difficult to bring the helicopter near, we hope that the information will be clear during the rescue. Long slinging will have to be done from a distance of about 60-70 feet, that is the only option,” – Wing Commander (Rtd) Asim Nawaz.

“A chairlift stuck at a height of about 900 ft midway due to breakage in one of its cables in Battagram. 8 persons including 6 children [are] stranded,” the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said in a statement.