James FitzGerald
Live reporter

It wasn't clear which way this story was going to go.

So it was a joy to be able to bring you the news that all eight people - six of them children - were successfully rescued today. I heard cheers behind me in the newsroom when the development was confirmed.

The relief on the ground - captured in videos of the final rescues - was palpable.

We've focused on the drama of what Pakistan's army called an operation of "unprecedented difficulty". But as you'll have seen in some of our later entries, there's been renewed scrutiny of the country's makeshift cable car system - and calls for safety inspections from Pakistan's leaders.

Our live coverage is coming to a close, but you can read our full report here.

As well as the reporting by our colleagues at BBC Urdu in Pakistan, today's posts were brought to you by Jamie Moreland, Fiona Nimoni, Thomas Mackintosh, Jacqueline Howard, Liv McMahon, Ali Abbas Ahmadi and Jack Burgess in London. The editors were Marita Moloney, Jamie Whitehead, Rob Corp, Dulcie Lee and me.

Image source, Reuters

We'll be drawing this live page to a close soon - but before we go, here's a quick summary of the latest updates from Battagram in Pakistan.

• There's huge relief after all eight people, including six children, were saved from a cable car hanging above a ravine in Pakistan. The country's caretaker prime minister has praised the "great team work" by those involved
• Army helicopters and a zip line were used in the delicate, hours-long mission - which was described by Pakistan's army as "an operation of unprecedented difficulty"
• There have been growing calls for more safety inspections, and Pakistan's president has called for "a comprehensive survey" of all cable cars in the country

Following on from those comments from the president, it's worth us mentioning that there is no road infrastructure or basic facilities in Allai: the mountainous area in which today's story unfolded.

As a result, a local resident obtained permission from the city administration to build the cable car, police confirmed to BBC News.

Known to locals as Dolly, the vehicle links the village of Jangri to Batangi, where the local school is located. What would usually be a two-hour walk was reduced to just four minutes in the cable car.

Police said they checked the lift every month, however BBC News has been unable to independently verify this.

• Read more on Pakistan's makeshift cable cars here

In light of today's events, President of Pakistan Arif Alvi has called on his administration to "conduct a comprehensive survey" of all cable cars in the country.

He says, external the task would ensure the safety of Pakistanis in the future.

The former PM, Shehbaz Sharif, has also called, external for cable cards to be "inspected and repaired urgently".

More dramatic footage shows children - reportedly the final children - being rescued with the help of a zip line.

Watch the clip above to see the children reach safety, having been stuck for hours over a ravine in northern Pakistan.

All eight people stuck in the cable car have now been successfully rescued, with one child rescued earlier in the day by military helicopter.

Image source, Rescue 1122/Reuters

People across Battagram and the world waited anxiously to see what would happen to the eight people trapped inside the cable car. Thankfully, each and every person was brought down to safety after spending hours stranded hundreds of metres in the air. Here’s how the day unfolded:

• Eight people, including six children on their way to school, got trapped in the cable car at around 07:00 local time (02:00 GMT)
• The cable car became stranded after some of its cables broke, suspending the group precariously above a ravine
• The first helicopter rescue was confirmed at around 18:45 local time - raising hopes that the remaining seven people would also soon be rescued
• During the course of the evening, some of the group were rescued by helicopter and others by zip line after night fell in northern Pakistan
• Officials confirmed at around 23:00 local time that all eight people had been successfully rescued - in what the army called an operation of "unprecedented difficulty"

The UK's high commissioner to Pakistan, Jane Marriott, has paid tribute, external to "all those who worked tirelessly" to rescue the eight people trapped on the cable car.

She says it's a "huge relief" that they're all now "safely back on the ground".

Pakistan's army has said that a highly complex and challenging rescue operation in Battagram area has been successfully completed.

A statement released by the army says the Special Services Group (SSG) team safely rescued the people who got trapped in a cable car 600ft (183m) above the ground.

Pilots from the army and air force demonstrated "exceptional skill and professionalism" during the rescue, the army says. Local cable experts also helped.

The statement describes the rescue as "unique" and "an operation of unprecedented difficulty".

Image source, .

This serves as a reminder of just how high the cable car was left dangling, while rescuers went about their work.

This dramatic video shows the moment one of the final Pakistani students was brought to safety.

The rescue mission was picked up by zip line experts - after a helicopter operation was suspended when darkness fell over the Battagram region.

Anwaar ul Haq Kakar, the acting Pakistani PM, has expressed how "relieved" he is to know that all the children have been "safely and successfully rescued".

He adds, external on X, formerly known as Twitter: "Great team work by the military, rescue departments, district administration as well as the local people."

Pakistan's interior ministry says the remaining three people have been rescued from the cable car, meaning the operation has now concluded.

Makeshift cable cars are widely used in eastern Mansehra and Pakistan-administered Kashmir, and stretch all the way up to Pakistan-administered Gilgit-Baltistan in the north.

With little infrastructure in the area and long-distances between facilities like schools, the cable cars - often thrown together with scrap metal - are born from necessity.

They are built by local communities - mostly illegally, because it is cheaper and there is no alternative infrastructure.

Sometimes they are made of the upper body of a pick-up truck. For example, a Suzuki may be converted into a large cabin used to transport people and cattle. They are then attached to the cable - which can also be made from scrap iron - using ropes.

Though dangerous, people often use them to cross rivers and to shorten the distance needed to travel between valleys in the mountains.

Image source, Getty Images

Military helicopters and rescuers have been working all day to free eight people stuck in a cable car dangling over a river bank in a remote area of north-western Pakistan.

So far, at least two children have been rescued in the operation.

Here's a quick 90 second recap of what's been happening:

Three more children have been rescued from the suspended cable car, bringing the total number to five, according to Pakistan's army.

Three people remain in the vehicle: one child and two adults.

Farhat Javed
BBC Urdu senior journalist, reporting from Islamabad

I've been speaking to an army officer about this huge rescue operation, now that darkness has fallen.

Efforts are continuing on the ground after army helicopters were stood down for the night.

The army has brought in zip line operators and rescuers from a private company in the Naran region, the officer says.

“These [civilians carrying out rescue operation now] are not normal locals but are the cable and zip line experts who have been brought in on helicopters by [the] army from various areas of [the] northern region to get benefit from their expertise," he adds.

Six people, including four children remain trapped in the cable car suspended over a valley in Pakistan's Battagram region.

The cable car is stuck 900ft (275m) above a river, and the valley spans approximately 1 mile (1.6km), proving difficult and dangerous for rescuers.

Image source, .

Night has fallen on Battagram, but there are still several people trapped in the cable car that is dangling above the mountains in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Here's what has happened so far:

• Eight people, including six children on their way to school, have been trapped in a cable car since 07:00 local time this morning after some of its cables broke, suspending them precariously hundreds of metres in the air
• Two people have been rescued - one by army helicopter and another via a zip line
• Helicopter operations have been abandoned for the day after night fell
• Officials will try to use a second, smaller cable car - which is being referred to as a trolley - to rescue those trapped
• There are reports of locals using a zipline to send food and water to the cable car, while at the same time trying to rescue the individuals inside

As efforts continue in northern Pakistan to rescue the remaining group trapped in the cable car, the country's caretaker prime minister has said he is "happy with the progress" being made so far.

"I'm closely monitoring and tracking the rescue efforts in Battagram, KP," Anwaar ul Haq Kakar said on X, formerly known as Twitter, external.

"I am happy that progress is being made, and thanks to the efforts of our army personnel, air force, rescue organizations, district administration and others, students stuck in the chairlift have started returning to the ground safely."

He added he will continue to monitor the situation until the operation is completed.

Retired Pakistan army general Talaat Masood says the loss of daylight complicated the helicopter rescue operation, which is why it has been abandoned at night.

Speaking to the BBC, Masood says it was already a challenge to rescue those trapped in the cable car. The weather can be unpredictable and dangerous, he says, and “it is not easy to rescue anyone from a height like that”.

Instead, Pakistani authorities will now focus on getting a trolley – a smaller cable car – to help the passengers to safety. It will be dangerous transferring the individuals, he says, and will need to be done “with great care”.

“But it is a lesser challenge than it would have been if it was a helicopter transfer at night”.