Pakistan: Eight Rescued From Cable Car Accident
On Tuesday, a military rescue successfully saved six children and two adults trapped in a cable car hanging over a ravine in north-west Pakistan, saving the lives of all eight. The dangerous rescue operation brought a joyous end to the tense incident.
Facts
- On Tuesday, a military rescue successfully saved six children and two adults trapped in a cable car hanging over a ravine in north-west Pakistan, saving the lives of all eight. The dangerous rescue operation brought a joyous end to the tense incident.1
- Earlier in the day, when one of the connecting cables snapped, the cable car was transporting the children over a river ravine on their route to school in the Battagram district of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Six hours after the malfunction, military helicopters were dispatched to begin rescue efforts.2
- Gusty winds further complicated helicopter rescue attempts, yet rescue operations conducted from ground-based operations yielded a successful outcome.3
- Floodlights were installed for the ground-based rescue operation, which was characterized as complex and requiring a high degree of skill by Pakistani officials.4
- Many in rural areas of Pakistan rely on cable cars for transportation, with the Prime Minister ordering all "dilapidated and non-compliant chairlifts" to close immediately in the wake of this incident.5
Sources: 1BBC News, 2Associated Press, 3Al Jazeera, 4Reuters, and 5CNN.
Narratives
- Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by NBC. Now that this harrowing rescue has been concluded with the best possible outcome, it's time to investigate the cause, Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar has demanded that authorities begin safety inspections on all similar privately owned chair lifts to ensure that such an event doesn't occur in the future.
- Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by The New York Times. This significant incident is just a glimpse into the vulnerable and precarious situations that the people living in remote Pakistan face each day. Tens of thousands of people live in these areas and lack the very basic necessities for transportation, education, healthcare, and other life-sustaining services. No investigation will ever be complete without taking this context into account.
