Hair-raising drone video shows six children and two adults dangling hundreds of feet in the air on a cable car in Pakistan — before they were finally rescued in a daring helicopter operation.
Stunning eye-level footage obtained by the BBC and Sky News shows one of the adults clinging to the chassis of a listed gondola about 900 feet above a gorge in the remote Battagram area.
A child is seen using a phone in a car as the drone hovers just a few steps away.
The eight passengers, who were trapped early Tuesday when one of the cables snapped on their way to a school, were finally rescued from a 16-hour ordeal in a rescue operation involving helicopters and military commandos.
One of the youngest was captured by a soldier strapped to the helicopter, while the others were lowered to the ground in a makeshift chair lift fashioned with a wooden bed frame and ropes.
“I have heard stories about miracles, but I saw a miraculous rescue happen with my own eyes,” said 15-year-old Osama Sharif after returning to terra firma.
Six children and two adults dangled hundreds of feet in the air in a cable car in Pakistan before being rescued. Sky News
The cable car hangs about 900 feet above a gorge in the remote area of Battagram.Sky News
“We suddenly felt a shock, and everything happened so suddenly that we thought we were all going to die,” he said of the first terrifying moments.
Another child, Attaullah Shah, said he feared “it’s over” when the cable snapped, the BBC reported.
“When the chair lift was half way, the rope broke. It dangled and I was scared,” he said.
Damaged cable car dangling 900 feet in the air. UMEED SAHAR via REUTERS
One of the rescuers flown in to help save the group was Muhammad Ali Swati, a 34-year-old zipliner and adventure tour operator, The Telegraph reported.
“I have been called to help in the rescue mission,” Swati, who hails from Beer-Kund village in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, told a UK news channel. “After packing my bags, I was flown to the site.
“When I first got to the cable car, children were screaming at me in fear. They are afraid that if the rope moves, the elevator will fall,” he said.
Muhammad Ali Swati’s zipliner was brought in to help in the brave rescue. Muhammad Ali/Facebook
Swati explained that it took a few minutes to calm their fears.
“We instructed everyone, one by one, about the safety equipment. “Behind us, there was a protective rope tied, which was pulled by military personnel and civilians to help,” he told The Telegraph.
“They were in extreme distress and clung to me like a child to their mother. Tears welled up — I couldn’t express the feeling,” he added.
Six children and two adults were rescued from the cable car on Tuesday.AFP via Getty Images
The traveler said the operation did not go without a hitch.
“When I took the three children to safety, my left hand got caught in the tight rope,” he said, adding that he was almost seriously injured in the accident.
“Miraculously, they loosened the rope for a moment, allowing me to free my hands,” said Swati, referring to other rescuers hundreds of feet away.
Young people trapped in the damaged cable car receive first aid following their rescue.AP
Victim Ibrar Ahmad received help at a health care center in a Pashto village in the mountainous region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. AFP via Getty Images
Another rescuer is Sahib Khan, 30, whose family specializes in building cable cars, the outlet reported. He helped install the improvised zipline used in the venture.
“I started the operation around 7pm after sunset and managed to bring the first child back to the ground,” he told The Telegraph. “The most challenging task for me is to convince the children to get out of the dolly.”
All the students were aged between 10 and 16, including one who fainted “due to heat and fear,” said rescue officer Shariq Riaz Khattak.
Meanwhile, cable car owner Gul Zareen has been arrested on multiple charges, including endangering life and precious negligence, the BBC reported.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
