MANSEHRA: The search and rescue operation continued on Saturday for the bodies of three people who drowned when a locally-made chairlift fell into the River Indus in Upper Kohistan.
Khaliqdad, the district emergency officer in Upper Kohistan, said that the operation has been hindered by the river’s alarmingly high water levels due to continuous rains in the area.
“The swollen river is hampering our efforts to recover the bodies,” he told reporters.
The victims, identified as Naseeb Khan,28, Mohammad Sher,36, and Fidaur Rehman,18, were using the chairlift in the Barseen area when one of its two supporting pillars gave way and caused the lift to fall into the river.
“Our teams, including divers from neighbouring districts, have been involved in the rescue operation, but we haven’t yet achieved any breakthroughs,” Khaliqdad said. The operation began in the morning and continued through the evening.
The district emergency officer also mentioned that residents in villages downstream along the River Indus have been asked to assist in the search for the bodies.
The government recently lifted a ban on chairlift operations in the mountainous regions of the Hazara division.
The ban had been imposed following an incident two years ago in Battagram, where eight students were trapped in a malfunctioning chairlift for an entire day.
