Swat River: Chairlift accident injures 20 in Charsadda

SHABQADAR:

At least 20 people were injured when two chairlifts running over River Swat collided with each other in the Abazai area of Charsadda on Thursday.

Charsadda DCO Ajmal Khan said that passengers plunged into the river after the collision of the lifts that were overloaded. He said that the collision took place over the river bank near Munda Headworks Bridge and no loss of life was reported.

DCO Khan added that many locals rushed to the area and successfully rescued all passengers. “I have directed officials to hold an inquiry to determine who is responsible for this,” he said.

Eyewitness Sarwar Khan told The Express Tribune the two lifts were travelling in opposite directions when they crashed. He said the passengers were mostly tourists, many of whom had come to the area for a picnic.

Another local, Khalid Khan, said that the contractor of the chairlifts sometimes overloads passengers, increasing the weight of the chairlift which in turn loosens its ropes, putting passengers in danger.

The lift was constructed by the provincial government with a cost of Rs6 million after the Munda Headwork Bridge was destroyed by the 2010 floods.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 24^th, 2012.