All students stuck in Battagram chairlift rescued

BATTAGRAM: All the students who were trapped in Battagram chairlift have been rescued, ARY News reported quoting the caretaker Interior Minister.

As per details, Caretaker Interior Minister Sarfraz Bugti said that the rescue operation has been completed and all the trap students have been rescued.

Pakistan Army Aviation officers, Special Service Group (SSG) commandos and locals successfully pulled out all school students and teacher trapped in the chairlift in Battagram.

The footage showed the rescuer hanging from a helicopter pulling out one of the students trapped in the Battagram chairlift by using the harness. The student was safely shifted to the ground after hours-long rescue efforts.

After rescuing two children, the air rescue operation was suspended due to windy weather and darkness. The children were rescued after the fourth attempt to airlift them.

The Pakistan Army Aviation and SSG teams also decided to continue the chairlift rescue operation from the ground.

Pakistan Army also brought a local cable crossing expert from the Northern areas. The cable crossing expert will also assist the rescuers.

GOC SSG is leading the rescue operation and a last attempt was made to pull out the trapped students and a teacher via helicopter. The rescue operation via helicopter would be more dangerous and risky due to windy weather and darkness.

All arrangements have been made to continue the operation in the nighttime. Moreover, the SSG commandoes provided food and medicines to the people trapped in the chairlift.

It was learnt that a small-sized chairlift will be installed at the same rope to extract the remaining people from the broken chairlift.

Earlier, a Pakistan Army helicopter reached Battagram, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, to rescue schoolchildren and teachers, who are stranded midair after the cable of a chairlift passing over a river broke in the Allai Jhangray Pashto area broke on Tuesday.

A rescue operation is being carried out in a “very careful and deliberate manner” by SSGC commandos.

As per details, the chairlift is stuck in Battagram’s Tehsil Alai as a result eight schoolchildren and their teacher are stranded in midair for several hours.

Earlier, Commissioner Hazara Sultan Aamir said he has contacted the KP govt and Pakistan Army for helicopter support to rescue the stranded schoolchildren and teacher.

Read more: Hundreds stuck in Muree’s Patriata chair lifts, rescue operation underway

Exclusively talking to ARY News, from the stuck chairlift, a man named Gulfaraz said seven schoolchildren and another man are stuck in the chairlift.

He said they are stuck midair in the chairlift from 7 in the morning and two ropes of the chairlift have already been broken. We are still waiting for help, he added.

Names of students on the chairlift

The names of the people stuck in the chairlift in Battagram have come to light.

The names of the eight people including schoolchildren stuck midair in Battagram cable car include Irfan Omraiz, Osama Sharif, Rizwanullah, Attaullah, Niaz Zaib, Sher Nawaz, Gulfraz and Abrar.

Caretaker PM orders immediate closure of chairlifts in dilapidated condition 

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

Read more: Caretaker PM directs authorities to shutdown unsafe chairlifts

According to a statement released by the Prime Minister 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.