When teens were trapped in a cable car hundreds of metres above a Pakistan ravine, a marathon rescue began

When teens were trapped in a cable car hundreds of metres above a Pakistan ravine, a marathon rescue began

Teenagers rescued from a stranded cable car dangling hundreds of metres above a ravine in Pakistan have described their "terrifying" ordeal.

Six students were among the eight people finally pulled from the car after a marathon rescue attempt involving military helicopters and zip-line experts.

Here's how it unfolded.

Cable snaps in middle of journey

The schoolchildren, aged between 10 and 16, had been coming down from their homes in Jhangri to a school in Battangi, comprising two villages in the Allai valley, when the calamity struck at about 7am local time.

"Suddenly, the cable broke, and I thought, 'This is the end of my life. This is my last day on Earth,'" 16-year-old Ataullah Shah said.

The journey by cable car usually takes just a matter of minutes, whereas travelling along the rough mountain roads and tracks takes hours.

"When this incident happened, I forgot everything. All I remembered at that time was my mother and God," Niaz Muhammad, 18, said.

Only one phone on board to call for help

Villager Gul Faraz, who at 20 years old was the only adult on the car, was also the only person with a mobile phone.

First, he called his family and then television channel Geo News, whose coverage quickly drew the attention of the world's media to the drama unfolding.

"Some of the children were so frustrated and were considering to jump down, but the elder passenger gave us confidence," Rizwan Ullah, 15, said.

"When the cable car was twisting, we were terrified and we started reciting the Koran and gave confidence to each other not to jump down."

Others on board said the car had "tilted drastically" and there was little space on board for its passengers. 

Loudspeakers were used to alert officials and residents to the unfolding emergency. (AFP)

"Four people were sitting, four were standing, and those four did not even have enough space to stand upright," Mr Shah said. 

Residents used mosque loudspeakers to alert neighbourhood officials of the emergency, and hundreds of people gathered on both sides of the ravine, hours away from any sizeable town, to watch the incident unfold.

The car came partially off the cable, leaving children and a teacher stranded for hours.(Umeed Sahar/via Reuters)

Syed Hammad Haider, a senior Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provincial official, said the gondola was hanging up to 365 metres above the ground.

The daring rescue finally began at dusk, with a helicopter plucking a child from the chairlift.

Villagers gather as first children removed via harness

There were fears the remaining cable could give way any time.

The first two children were rescued by helicopter, one by one, district official Shah Fahad said.

The rescue effort struggled early as two initial attempts at a rescue helicopter had to be aborted by 6pm due to gusty winds and the danger posed by the helicopter's blade further destabilising the cable car.

Television footage showed one child in a harness being lifted off the cable car by a helicopter, swinging side to side before being carried to the ground.

The rescue quickly sparked international attention. (AP: K.M. Chaudary)

A cable about nine metres above the car was also impeding efforts.

Heat exhaustion sets in as hours pass

Commandos managed to deliver food, water and "medicines to normalise heart rate" to the group in the afternoon.

The children were given first aid as they were brought to the ground. (Rescue 1122 via Reuters)

"At some point, I had lost hope that we would safely return home," Mr Faraz told Reuters by telephone from his home.

Pakistan Tourism described the ordeal as Pakistan's most complex and sensitive rescue operation.

"For God's sake help us," Mr Faraz had told Pakistan TV channels by phone.

He said the children were aged between 10 and 15 and one had fainted due to heat and fear.

Military and zip-line experts called in

It soon became too dark to fly helicopters safely in the wind, despite floodlights installed on the ground.

"When the helicopter arrived and left without rescue, we lost hope," Mr Faraz said.

"During the whole process we thought we would die."

But a ground-based rescue continued. 

Cable-crossing experts were trying to rescue the children one by one by transferring them onto a small platform along the cable.

'A second life' as Pakistan celebrates

Having first expected the worst, Pakistanis relief and pride over the daring rescue.

The ordeal had lasted more about 15 hours. 

The teens were dehydrated and suffering heat exhaustion. (AP Photo: Nasir Mahmood)

"Our first priority was to secure the children," caretaker Prime Minister Anwar ul Haq Kakar said, describing the feat as "near impossible".

"It was heartening to see the whole nation praying and standing united … in the hour of need," Mr Kakar told a news conference in the southern city of Karachi.

Those prayers were answered for Mr Faraz and the children.

Gul Faraz (right) and Rizwan Ullah survived the cable car incident.(AP: Saqib Manzoor)

"We got a second life," he said.

The oldest in the cable car were the last to be brought to safety.

The caretaker prime minister called the rescuers "heroes of the nation".

"It was the most terrifying time of my life. I forgot everything but my mother. I thought only of my mother," 18-year-old Mr Muhammad said.

"When I reached my home she was waiting for me at the gate. We hugged each other, she kissed me and we were in tears."

What happens now?

Police in the area say the owner and operator of the cable car have now been arrested.

Mohammad Sheraz Khan, an officer at a district police station in Pakistan's north-west, said two men had been detained but did not give details of the charges.

The caretaker prime minister has ordered cable cars around the province be closed for a week while safety inspections are carried out.

But Mr Muhammad said despite his ordeal, like others in the village, he had no option but to return to using the cable car.