LOOK. Rescued young people who were terrified in a faulty cable lift testify: “Scared and upset” | Abroad

The Pakistani rescuers managed our time last night to free the last of the eight occupants – after no less than 15 hours – from the cable car in Battagram. One of the elevator’s two cables had failed earlier in the day, leaving the cabin dangling for hours over a ravine from about 275 meters to 365 meters deep.

After several failed attempts, hopeful news finally arrived around 3:30 p.m. Belgian time. Two children were freed by one of the helicopters that had been deployed. According to local media, two more teenagers were freed within fifteen minutes, but confirmation was not forthcoming for a long time. Around 7 p.m. the news trickled in that five occupants had already been successfully liberated. An hour later the last child and the two adults were also safe and sound on the ground floor.

The young people, all between 10 and 16 years old, luckily escaped with a fright and are happy that they can still tell the story. “Three to four people went in the cable car, then we were eight in it,” says Ata Ullah, one of the rescued teenagers. “When we arrived in the middle, the cable broke and the cab was dangling. We were scared and upset. We spent the whole night in fear,” he says. “But when the army arrived, we saw an opportunity to survive.”

After their rescue, the eight occupants immediately received medical attention. A 16-year-old boy with a heart condition had passed out in the cabin. A second occupant also occasionally lost consciousness due to the heat and stress. The two were given medication and are now doing well.