Three students stuck in Battagram dangling cable car pass class 9 exam

PESHAWAR: Three of the children from among the passengers stuck in the dangling cable car in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Battagram district have passed their class 9 exams.

According to details, Attaullah son of Kifayatullah obtained 442 marks, Niaz Mohammad s/o Umar Zaib secured 412 and Usama s/o Muhammad Sharif took 391 numbers, and they were promoted to class 10 as the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education Abbottabad announced the results earlier today.

The trio are the students of Government High School Batangi Pashto Alai.

Rescue mission ends successfully

The Pakistan Army’s Special Services Group (SSG) successfully rescued all eight passengers — seven schoolchildren and a local person — who were dangling mid-air after the rope of a cable car broke in Allai Tehsil in KP.

Taking to X, previously known as Twitter, caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar announced: “Relieved to know that Alhamdolillah all the kids have been successfully and safely rescued. Great teamwork by the military, rescue departments, district administration as well as the local people.”

Earlier today, the open cable car became stranded halfway across a ravine and was hanging by a single cable after the other snapped, leaving eight people stuck inside for more than 15 hours.

Before sunset, two of the children were rescued with the help of an army helicopter but the operation via copter was suspended due to darkness and the windy weather.

The army later started a ground operation — led by SSG’s general officer commanding (GOC) — to retrieve the remaining five people on the cable car with alternative means.

Another cable car — smaller in size — was hung on the same cable to retrieve the people and deliver food and water to them. The Pakistan Army also brought in a local cable crossings expert for help.

Earlier in the morning, the open cable car became stranded halfway across a ravine and was hanging by a single cable after the other snapped, Shariq Riaz Khattak a rescue official at the site told Reuters.

Following the incident, helicopters of the Pakistan Army Aviation and the Pakistan Air Force participated in the rescue operation along with the SSG troops.

The rescue mission was complicated due to gusty winds in the area and the fact the helicopter’s rotor blades risk further destabilising the lift, Khattak said.

Initial report of incident

An initial report of the incident says that seven schoolchildren and a local person were travelling in the cable car to go to the Batangi Government High School.

According to the report, one cable of the gondola broke at around 7:45am which led to the cable car being stranded mid-air.

The cable car hands at a height of 6,000 feet. Abrar, Irfan, Usama, Rizwan Ullah, Ataullah, Niaz Muhammad, Sher Nawaz and Gul Faraz are stuck inside the lift.

The report said that Battagram’s deputy commissioner contacted Hazara’s commissioner after he received report about the incident. The DC asked for the arrangement of a helicopter. Moreover, the SSG team based in Kaghan Valley was also contacted after which the helicopter reached the location at 11:45am. Meanwhile, the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) helicopter reached the site at 2pm.

District administration, police, and two rescue teams are currently present at the location, the report said, adding that an emergency has been imposed at the nearby health centres and the District Headquarter Hospital (DHQ) Battagram has also been put on high alert.

Punjab’s DG Rescue Dr Rizwan Naseer said that a height rescue team is also on standby and is ready for help.