An upward of 20 people lose lives in chairlift accidents in decade
Pakistan
The tragic chairlift accidents are common in hilly regions of the Pakistan
LAHORE (Dunya Investigation Cell) – The tragic chairlift accidents are common in the hilly areas of Pakistan, where these are frequently used to cross rivers.
On June 24, 2023, a mother and daughter drowned in river after the cable of a temporary chairlift passing over the Swat river broke in Aryai Pashmal region.
Back on June 29, 2019, the Patriata chairlift broke down, leaving 90 people trapped in the air for 10 hours or so. Each cable car carried eight to nine people. The district administration, Rescue 1122, Civil Defence and Pakistan Army were called for help and rescuers brought all people down safely. All those onboard remained unscathed.
The 3.25km long chairlift was installed at a height of about 7,500 feet above sea level and at a distance of about 15km from Murree Town - starting from Galhara Gali to Patriata Top.
During the first phase of this operation, 27 people were rescued by three wires which were easily accessible. It was very difficult to rescue the people in the other cable cars as they were high in the mountainous area. So, the authorities decided to readjust the rail rope to set the cable cars in motion after which the team was able to rescue the people.
On July 15, 2017, five people drowned in the Swat river after a chairlift broke. The incident took place at Kalam village in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where seven people were riding a chairlift when its cable snapped midway over the river.
The chairlift was operated by local people and was in use for many years. In this accident, five people drowned in the river while two were rescued.
On June 29, 2017, around 11 people lost their lives when a chairlift cable fell in Murree. Two others were injured in the accident when a cable of a chairlift snapped in the hill station. The lift was reportedly carrying 13 people when its cable snapped.
This chairlift was actually an improvised one installed between two mountains used by local villagers to cross the river. According to officials, a cable supporting the cable car malfunctioned which led to the accident.
On May 12 same year, four people drowned in the Indus river after the chairlift cable broke in Samar Nala area of Diamar district. This chairlift used to connect Tangir area of Diamer district with other areas. In Tangir area of Gilgit-Baltistan, four people were returning to their homes after performing Friday prayers when the chairlift broke down halfway.
On Aug 19, 2015, Pakistan's largest Patriata chairlift and cable car service remained inoperative for over two hours, leaving dozens of tourists stranded at a height of hundreds of meters.
The incident took place when tourists were travelling by chairlift and cable car service which was stopped due to an electrical fault.
Even a day before this accident, the chairlift and cable service remained inactive for more than an hour due to a fault in the generator. Owing to the absence of backup power supply system, the administration was unable to rescue the stranded tourists for more than two hours.
On Dec 18, 2013, a person died when the rope of a locally made chairlift broke on the Berang river in Bajaur Agency.
According to locals, a resident was coming from Dargai to his native village by chairlift when suddenly it broke and fell into the river.
In an earlier incident on July 4, 2012, a woman was injured in a chairlift accident that took place in the tourist resort of Ayubia. The rope attached to the chairlift broke, causing the woman and her five-year-old son to fall into a deep ditch. Miraculously, the five-year-old child survived the accident.
