BATTAGRAM: All the eight persons, including sic students, trapped on a chairlift in Battagram area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa since 7am on Tuesday were rescued safely before midnight.
Rescue 1122 spokesman Bilal Faizi confirmed that the stranded people, including six schoolchildren, had been rescued and brought down to safety at about 11pm.
The incident had occurred early in the morning — estimated between 7am and 8am — when six students and two locals were on the way to school.
They got stuck when two wires of the cable car snapped, Assistant Commissioner Jawad Hussain earlier told Dawn.com, adding the cable car was privately run by locals for transportation across rivers as there were no roads or bridges in the area.
The cable car remained dangling in the middle of a deep ravine surrounded by towering mountains and a rocky surface along with the Jhangri river for hours.
Before sunset, two of the children were rescued with the help of an army helicopter. However, rescue operation via copter was suspended due to darkness and the windy weather.
Another cable car smaller in size was hung on the same cable to retrieve the people. Moreover, the other cable car was also used to deliver food and water to those stranded.