Four children were successfully rescued from a cable car that had been dangling perilously 900 feet over the mountainous region in Pakistan for over 10 hours.
The daring rescue operation, undertaken by Pakistan's Special Services officers, marked a race against time as two more children and two adults remained trapped inside the stranded car.
The incident occurred as the children were commuting to school in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
At 8:30 a.m. local time on Tuesday, disaster struck when one of the chairlift's cables snapped, leaving the car stranded in a treacherous position.
Tanveer Ur Rehman, the deputy commissioner of Battagram district, revealed that the cable car had made multiple trips earlier that day before the accident.
Initial rescue efforts were thwarted by strong winds, leaving the trapped individuals in a perilous predicament.
A video released by rescue services showed a crowd gathered on the mountainside, watching with bated breath as a Special Services officer was lowered from a helicopter toward the stranded car, which hung at a steep angle.
Reports emerged that two of the trapped students were in a state of alternating consciousness, highlighting the urgent need for intervention.
One of the passengers, identified only as Gulfaraz, pleaded with authorities to take swift action.
He highlighted the dire situation the students were facing, lacking even basic necessities like drinking water.
In response to reports of children experiencing nausea, rescue personnel provided them with the necessary medication.
Additionally, heart-related medication was administered to those trapped in the cable car.
Previously, it was reported that a total of eight children, along with two adults, were trapped at an elevation of 1,200 feet (365 meters).
The cable car in question serves as a crucial connection between two communities in the region. It operates on two cables, one of which snapped, as confirmed by Bilal Ahmad Faizi, a rescue official.
Pakistan's caretaker Prime Minister, Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar, swiftly responded to the incident, ordering the immediate closure of all "dilapidated and non-compliant chairlifts" in the country.