All the eight people trapped in a cable car hanging above a ravine in Pakistan have been rescued.
Some of them were rescued by helicopter after nightfall, others were safely brought down to the ground by zip line.
The country’s acting prime minister has voiced his relief, while the interior ministry has praised the “selflessness and determination” of the rescuers.
The cable car was left dangling in the air for more than 14 hours, with rescue teams battling challenging conditions to reach the stranded group.
Makeshift cable cars are widely used in the mountainous region and the children in the car were going to school when the cables snapped.
The eight people including six children got trapped in the cable car around 07:00 local time. The cable car became stranded after some of its cables broke, suspending the group precariously above a ravine.
The first helicopter rescue was confirmed at around 18:45 local time – raising hopes that the remaining seven people would also soon be rescued.
During the course of the evening, some of the group, were rescued by helicopter and others by zipline after night fell in northern Pakistan.
Officials confirmed at around 23:00 local time that all eight people had been successfully rescued – in what the army called an operation of “unprecedented difficulty.”
The United Kingdom (UK’s) high commissioner to Pakistan, Jane Marriott, paid tribute to “all those who worked tirelessly” to rescue the eight people trapped on the cable car.
She says it’s a “huge relief” that they’re all now “safely back on the ground”.
Pakistan’s army has said that a highly complex and challenging rescue operation in Battagram area has been successfully completed.
A statement released by the army said the Special Services Group (SSG) team safely rescued the people who got trapped in a cable car 600ft (183m) above the ground.
Pilots from the army and air force demonstrated “exceptional skill and professionalism” during the rescue, the army says. Local cable experts also helped.
The statement describes the rescue as “unique” and “an operation of unprecedented difficulty.”
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