ISLAMABAD: At least three persons went missing after a cable car fell into the Indus River in the northwestern Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, rescue officials said on Friday, amid a search for potential survivors.
The incident took place in the Upper Kohistan district of the province, when the three men aged between 18 and 36 years were using the cable car to cross the river, according to a Rescue 1122 spokesperson.
Rescue 1122 divers, disaster management and medical teams reached shortly after the control room was informed about the incident.
“Despite a rapid flow of water, rescue teams are engaged in search operations at three different locations,” the Rescue 1122 spokesperson said in a statement.
A team of specialized divers had also been called in from Bisham area to participate in the operation, while heavy machinery was being used to pull the cable car out of the river.
Makeshift cable cars are widely used in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, northern Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan regions. Local communities build them out of scrap metal because it’s cheaper and there is no other alternative considering the terrain of the area which makes road travel more costly.
In August last year, rescuers had pulled out seven children and a man to safety after their cable car was stranded high over a remote ravine in KP’s Battagram district, ending an ordeal lasting more than 15 hours. The high-risk operation was successfully completed in the dark of night after the cable car snagged early in the morning, leaving it hanging precariously at an angle.
The rescue effort had transfixed the country, with Pakistanis crowded around television sets, as local media showed footage of an emergency worker dangling from a helicopter cable close to the small cabin, with those onboard cramped together.
Three missing after cable car falls into Indus River in northwestern Pakistan
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Three missing after cable car falls into Indus River in northwestern Pakistan
- Search operation comprising professional divers underway to recover any survivors, rescue official says
- Communities in northern Pakistan build cable cars out of scrap metal as alternate to costly road travel
Pakistan PM invites UAE investment across tech and resource sectors at National Day event
- Shehbaz Sharif says the UAE remains a key economic partner and continues to lend ‘critical support’ to Pakistan
- UAE envoy says both nations have potential for cooperation in renewable energy, AI and economic diversification
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is ready to welcome investment from the United Arab Emirates across emerging technologies and resource sectors, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Monday, as both countries marked the 54th National Day of the Gulf country in Islamabad.
Speaking at the ceremony attended by senior ministers, diplomats and business leaders, Sharif said the UAE remained a key economic partner for Pakistan and continued to lend “critical support” to the country’s stabilizing economy.
“Pakistan takes great pride in its strategic partnership with the UAE, which continues to deepen across every domain of life,” he said. “With Pakistan’s economy stabilizing, we stand ready to welcome Emirati investment in renewable energy, AI, fintech, agriculture and minerals.”
Sharif praised the UAE’s leadership and recalled his earliest memories of the Gulf nation as “a land that believed in possibilities long before they became realities,” saying the country’s progress under President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan commanded “profound admiration.”
UAE Ambassador Salem Al Bawab Al Zaabi said the Emirates was committed to strengthening ties with Pakistan in areas including the economy, energy and artificial intelligence.
He said the two countries shared a “deep-rooted friendship built on mutual respect, shared values and a common vision for regional peace and development.”
“We see tremendous potential for collaboration in renewable energy, artificial intelligence, sustainability and economic diversification,” the ambassador said, adding that the UAE aimed to broaden the scope of its economic relations with Pakistan.
The UAE hosts around 1.8 million Pakistani expatriates, one of the country’s largest overseas communities, who Sharif said contributed “tirelessly” to the Gulf state’s development.
Sharif and Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar also joined the UAE ambassador in a cake-cutting ceremony to mark the occasion.
