Unfit chairlifts
ISLAMABAD: Caretaker Prime Minister Anwarul Haq Kakar ordered closure of chairlifts that are in poor condition. He said that the cable-cars that do not meet safety standards must be closed.
Premier Kakar gave the order in the wake of Tuesday’s incident where eight individuals got stuck up in a chairlift in Battagram.
Meanwhile, the caretaker PM directed the rescue authorities, NDMA and PDMA to mobilize all available resources for making rescue operation successful.
Kakar also emphasized the need for stringent safety measures on all chairlifts situated in mountainous areas. He issued orders for the immediate shutdown of chairlifts that are in subpar condition and do not adhere to safety standards.
Additionally, PM Kakar instructed the implementation of safety protocols across all chairlifts in mountainous regions.
Earlier, an army helicopter has launched a rescue operation in Battagram to rescue schoolchildren and teachers.
SSG commando delivers drinking water, food items to stranded individuals: Unfit chairlifts closure ordered
Meanwhile, in the first phase of the rescue operation, a commando of the army’s SSG team delivered drinking water and food items to stranded individuals. About eight individuals are in the chairlift stuck up mid-air, 900-feet high.
A commando, hanging below the helicopter, is trying to access the chairlift to rescue the stranded individuals.
As the rescue operation seems to be very risky and delicate, the SSG team will try to rescue chairlift occupants one by one.
For the last 45 minutes, a helicopter is seen on the TV screens that is hovering over the chairlift. A commando, hanging below the chopper, is making attempt to rescue the stranded individuals.
Earlier, a team of the Army’s Special Services Group (SSG) started a rescue operation on a helicopter to rescue stranded school children and teachers in the chairlift.
Six school children and two teachers got stuck up mid-air after a chairlift cable broke down in Allai Tehsil in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Battagram district.
According to the National Disaster Management Authority, “A chairlift got stuck at a height of 900 feet midway due to a cable breakage in Battagram. Eight persons, including six children, are stranded.”
The chairlift stuck up in the air with students and teachers.
With NDMA’s coordination, PDMA deployed a Pakistan Army helicopter for the rescue mission.
Mansehra Deputy Inspector General of Police Tahir Ayub affirmed the incident. He said that the only viable solution is to rescue the stranded passengers using a helicopter.
Gulfaraz, who is among the stranded passengers, recounted that they had been stuck for over six hours on the chairlift. He revealed that a 16-year-old student with a heart condition had been unconscious for the past three hours. The teenager was en-route to the hospital via the chairlift.
