Alai cable car accident: when the helicopters came near, the air pressure was so high that the cable car started swinging.

Alai cable car accident: 'We were facing death at a great height.

 

We were facing death at a great height. It seemed to die now or a few moments later. I just saw death in front of my eyes. When Gul Faraz boarded the cable car connecting Batangai village on Tuesday morning, he had no idea that the next 15 hours of his life would be spent in a life and death struggle.

Twenty-two-year-old Gul Faraz, a resident of Batangai village in the remote Pashto area of Butgram district, was the only youth on board the cable car while the other seven passengers were school students.

Initially, in the media reports, Gul Faraz was also declared as a teacher of this school, but he says that he is a shopkeeper.

 

Gul Faraz said that his nephew was also among the children in the cable car, and he was more concerned about the children than himself.

He said, 'Just think, a small elevator is suspended in the air, one of whose cables is broken. It is swinging repeatedly in the wind and there were seven children in it.

Gul Faraz told the BBC that when the cable car was swinging due to the strong wind in the air, his screams came out.

 

This accident happened at seven in the morning and according to Gul Faraz, for the first two or three hours, no one even knew that the cable car had been cut.

At that time there were no mobile phone signals and the internet was also not working. After some time, when mobile phone and internet signals were restored, phone calls were made and military helicopters arrived in the afternoon.

Gul Faraz says that after the arrival of the helicopters, there was some hope that something would happen, but they could not get success because when the helicopters came near, the air pressure was so high that the cable car started swinging.

According to him, during the operation with the help of the helicopter, at one point there was a fear that the cable car might fall down, but it was saved due to the presence of mind of the pilot.

 

A child was rescued. When the helicopter tried again, its rope was caught in the elevator cable car, which was pulling the cable car. At that time our condition worsened. It seemed that it was gone now. Death was in sight. The children who stood up sat there and those who were sitting stood up.

Gul Faraz says that at that time the helicopter pilot showed wisdom and cut the rope, after which the cable car came back to its place.

According to him, after that, when the evening started, the fear increased again, but the local people started the operation with the help of the officials and then one by one, all the people were evacuated and taken to a safe place.

 

Gul Faraz's nephew Rizwanullah was also riding in this cable car. Ninth grade student Rizwanullah said that that time was very scary. All the children were crying, I was also crying and all the family members were missing.

Rizwanullah said that when he was taken to safety, he was met by his father and mother, who hugged him, loved him and said, 'Just don't get on that cable car again,' and I'm thinking the same thing. Now I will not go in this cable car again even if I have to walk for two hours.'

I found a child Abrar in this cable car lying in a nearby primary health center. Muhammad Fayaz, a young man from his village, was sitting with him.

Abrar was unwell and had high fever. They were unable to speak. Fayyaz said that Abrar is suffering from rib pain and needs to be taken to the hospital.

According to him, primary medical aid is being provided here at the primary health center, but it is necessary to get this child fully treated.

Muhammad Fayyaz said that a large number of people like Abrar are affected due to lack of safe roads, these children are eager to get education but due to such problems children are not able to get education.

 

Although the government has banned all such cable cars, known as 'dollies', in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, people in Batingai say they are forced to use cable cars when the government does not provide them with roads or bridges. Work will be done through

The people of four village councils of Union Council Pashto in Alai depend on this cable car. Local people said that this lift was a lifeline for them. If they go on foot, it takes two hours and they used to pay 20 rupees in this cable car and reach in five minutes.

Asimullah is a teacher. They are residents of the same village from where these children were coming to study in school.

He was not on the cable car himself, but he seemed concerned for the children and others in his area.

 He said that there is no way for them, the government should build roads and bridges for the people of the villages in this tehsil so that all people can travel easily and safely. He said that this cable car was established on private level some time back at the request of local people as a large number of populations were affected due to lack of connecting road or bridge.

Najeebullah is also a local teacher. He said that it is more difficult when someone is sick and has to be taken to the hospital.

Such accidents happen here every day, but no one cares. When this incident got coverage in the media, all the people arrived. Now it is the duty of the government not only to ban the cable car but also to solve the problems of the people.