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Original poster

Is anyone following the cable car rescue in Pakistan?

63 replies

ClaraThePigeon · 22/08/2023 14:44

It's utterly horrifying. 6 children and 2 teachers trapped. They've been in there for over ten hours, 900 feet above the ground, but it seems that they've just rescued 1 child. Hopefully the others can be brought to safety soon.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-asia-66580485

OP posts:
Comefromaway · 22/08/2023 17:31

The bbc is reporting that 4 children have now been rescued

Original poster
ClaraThePigeon · 22/08/2023 17:37

The bbc is reporting that 4 children have now been rescued

Is that on the news channel? The live news on the BBC site is still saying 2.

OP posts:
Bruisername · 22/08/2023 17:52

The radio just said a further 3 have been rescued

Bruisername · 22/08/2023 17:52

Radio 4

Comefromaway · 22/08/2023 17:52

The ticker thing on the live video said 4 but the website says 2. It’s contradictory.

Original poster
ClaraThePigeon · 22/08/2023 17:54

Thanks all. The live news feed is relatively slow to update.

OP posts:
MontezumasPuma · 22/08/2023 17:54

Reuters says 4, they're usually reliable.

GoodVibesHere · 22/08/2023 17:55

The BBC are now back to saying only two rescued so far.

HurdyGurdy19 · 22/08/2023 17:57

I did see a headline earlier, but I couldn't stop to read the news story, but it said one of the children has a heart condition and had been unconscious for 2-3 hours.

A terrifying ordeal for all of those trapped in the cable car. I'm just hoping that they are all brought to safety, although from other posts that the children may have been rescued.

Bruisername · 22/08/2023 18:01

bbc live feed saying 5. Fingers crossed the last 3 will be announced soon

Comefromaway · 22/08/2023 18:03

Although you’d hope they would prioritise the one with the heart condition I imagine it’s harder to get an unconscious person out.

RaceToTheMiddle · 22/08/2023 18:04

Seems the cable car was built by a local man. To save the school kids a 2hr walk across the valley to school. I doubt they have the safety regulations we have in the uk.

BrunchBunch · 22/08/2023 18:20

It's terrifying. At least one of the adults is only 20, think he is a brother to one of the children.

the sides of the car are open on both sides!!

Apparently the helicopter makes quite a lot of wind, which increases the danger. They were going to try to lay new ropes to get a second cable car/trolley to them somehow.

I just can't imagine how awful it must be for them in there. Or for their parents watching.

I don't want to watch the live feed either, it just feels wrong somehow; I just read the updates when they came on the BBC news app. News is quite patchy and inconsistent at this stage anyway, so better to wait and read updates later when they know more.

GoodVibesHere · 22/08/2023 18:21

Bruisername · 22/08/2023 18:01

bbc live feed saying 5. Fingers crossed the last 3 will be announced soon

Oh gosh I'm very glad they've got more out now. I really, really hope they can get the final 3.

I cannot imagine how those stuck and their families are coping.

What brave amazing rescuers.

Blackbyrd · 22/08/2023 18:26

Intrepid rescue attempts being made, let us hope for the best possible outcome

StupidHip · 22/08/2023 18:31

ClaraThePigeon · 22/08/2023 17:18

The locals rescued the second child by zip line which is insane. Well done to them. That's an incredible achievement at that height.

It is, of course, but the cable car is being described as "homemade". These people are self sufficient in a way we can't imagine.

littleducks · 22/08/2023 18:44

There are some photos on twitter that give more detail. The cable car looks like a basket, I'm struggling to understand what exactly they mean by zip line and trolley. Really hope they get them all out soon. It will be fascinated to hear how they managed this later as seemingly these ground efforts have been more effective than helicopter https://twitter.com/areejahmed/status/1694040491434578128?t=S6R-W7dX_MH5bvbsU95V3Q&s=19

https://twitter.com/_areejahmed_/status/1694040491434578128?s=19&t=S6R-W7dX_MH5bvbsU95V3Q

Valerie23 · 22/08/2023 18:48

Five out of seven children have been rescued.

"It is a slow and risky operation. One person needs to tie himself with a rope and he will go in a small chairlift and rescue them one by one," said Abdul Nasir Khan, a resident.

Valerie23 · 22/08/2023 18:49

Two children were rescued by helicopter, one by one, district official Shah Fahad and the military's media said. Television footage showed one child being lifted off the cable car by a helicopter in a harness, swinging side to side before being carried to the ground.

The cable car became stranded half way across the ravine, about 275 metres (900 feet) above ground, Shariq Riaz Khattak a rescue official at the site, told Reuters.
The helicopter rescue mission had been complicated by gusty winds in the area and the fact that the helicopters' rotor blades risked further destabilising the lift, he said.
"Our situation is precarious, for god's sake do something," Gulfaraz, a 20-year-old on the cable car, told local television channel Geo News over the phone. He said the children were aged between 10 and 15 and one had fainted due to heat and fear.

Bruisername · 22/08/2023 18:53

I think what they are doing is sending a seat attached to the main rope (with or without a person) and then pulling it back once someone has got on

GoodVibesHere · 22/08/2023 18:58

The cable car itself looks absolutely terrifying to me. I can't even imagine going on it but they are used to it.

It's a horrifying situation.

RubyMurry22 · 22/08/2023 19:02

They’ve all been rescued!

Comefromaway · 22/08/2023 19:02

BBC breaking news they’ve all been rescued

Bruisername · 22/08/2023 19:05

Phew. Happy ending!

GoodVibesHere · 22/08/2023 19:06

Oh thank god!!!

Perhaps they will next look to review the safety of their cable car system. It seems a terrifying way of getting to school!