Battagram chairlift rescue operation live updates: Pakistan Army’s SSG on site to save lives

A team of Pakistan Army’s Special Services Group (SSG) has kicked off a rescue operation to save eight people, including six schoolchildren, who were left stranded mid-air after the cable of a chairlift broke in Allai Tehsil in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Battagram district on Tuesday.

Helicopters of Pakistan Army Aviation and Pakistan Air Force are participating in the rescue operation along with the SSG troops.

The open chair lift 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.

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

One chopper has already conducted surveillance and then returned, and another one would be sent shortly, he added.

Army to ‘continue rescue operation till night’

According to a private news channel, Army Aviation and Special Service Group teams are once again trying to conduct the rescue operation.

The operation has become very difficult as there is another cable 30 feet above the chairlift which can collide with the helicopter.

However, the rescue operation is being conducted with extreme caution.

Moreover, the Pakistan Army is keeping into consideration other options to continue the rescue operation in case it becomes dark. The army will continue the rescue operation till night.

Speaking to a private news channel, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Nazeer Ahmed assured that the children inside the chairlift are fine. He said that they are in continuous contact with them.

According to Geo News, the chairlift started shaking as the Pakistan Army’s rescue helicopter approached it and there is a risk of the chairlift losing balance.

Other options to conduct the rescue operation, which is being deemed risky, were under consideration including a sling operation by the SSG team.

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

Sling operations are aerial operations where large loads are moved in geographically difficult terrains.

“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.

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

The statement said NDMA has provided coordination support to Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA).

“After coordination Pak Army helicopter has been despatched for [the] rescue operation,” it added.

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 copter.

The cable hangs in the middle of a deep ravine surrounded by stunning mountains, where cable cars are frequently used to connect remote villages and towns.

Syed Hammad Haider, a senior KP provincial official, said the cable car was hanging about 1,000 to 1,200 feet above the ground.

“We have requested the KP government to provide a helicopter because the relief activity is not possible without the help of a helicopter,” he said.