A total of six children and two adults became stuck in a cable car when it broke down 1,200ft above a deep valley in Pakistan.

The trapped people had been travelling to school in a remote mountainous area in Battagram when a line snapped at around 7am on Tuesday.

Makeshift cable cars, often made from scrap metal, are widely used across parts of Pakistan due to there being long distances between facilities such as schools.

The cable cars are usually built by people in local commuties, often illegally, so that residents can get around, as there is a lack of infrastructure in the area, according to the BBC.

With all eight people trapped following today's incident now rescued, here is everything you need to know about the country's homemade cable car system.

In this image taken from video, a cable car carrying six children and one adult dangles hundreds of meters above the ground in the remote Battagram district

The trapped people had been travelling to school in a remote mountainous area in Battagram when a line snapped at around 7am on Tuesday

Why are the cable cars needed?

In Allia, the area where the eight people became trapped today, there is no road infrastructure or access to basic facilities.

This meant that local communities took matters into their own hands and built the cable car system as a means of transport.

After obtaining permission from the those in charge of running the city, a local resident set to work.

The route known as 'Dolly' allows residents to travel what was a two-hour walk in just four minutes.

The line runs from the village of Jangri to where the lcoal school is, Batangi.

It was claimed by local police that the safety of the line is checked monthly but this has yet to be verified.

The cable cars are often made from parts of motor vehicles, such as pick-up trucks, with the main body converted into a cabin that is then attached to a line.

How much do they cost to use?

Another reason why the cable cars are popular with local residents is that they are an affordable mode of transport.

Cheaper than travelling by road, fares start at as little as 10 PKR (£0.053). The cost changes depending on the distance travelled.

Mohabbat Shah, who lives in the area, said locals are willing to risk the dangerous journey as they don't have many other ways travelling to key services.

Due to there being no probelms with the cable cars before today's incident, locals saw them as the best way to travel around the region.

He told the BBC: 'We pay only 10 rupees per person on a one way trip. If we book a cab, this will cost up to 2000 rupees (£18.91).'

Local communities took matters into their own hands and built the cable car system as a means of transport

A view shows a cable car carrying students stranded in mid-air in Battagram, Pakistan, today

Have there been problems with other cable cars in Pakistan?

While the cable car that broke down today had not had issues before, others in different parts of the country have.

In 2017, in Muree, Punjab, an illegal car crashed and fell into a ravine. There were 11 people killed in the crash.

And in December last year in Abbottabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 12 children on their way to school had to be rescued when a rope snapped. They were also stranded above a river as they waited to be saved.

After today's icndient, Anwaar ul Haq Kakar, Pakistan's caretaker prime minister, called for safety inspections of all homemade cable cars.