Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) director-general Major-General Shaukat Sultan on Tuesday said four to five days would be required to recover bodies from the rubbles of the cave in Kohlu area.
"Army engineers have carried out a survey of the area which reveals that the work after starting would require four to five days to recover the bodies," he said while addressing a press conference at the ISPR directorate in Rawalpindi.
He said the survey has further revealed the site of the incident was so rugged and hilly that heavy machinery cannot be engaged to remove debris of the cave. Thus, he said, the work of removing the debris cave would be undertakers manually and it would be a time-taking job, besides being laborious and hectic.
He said it would also be highly risky, as nobody knew how much of live arms were still inside the collapsed cave. Moreover, he said, a "minor vibration" could cause further collapse.
Answering a question, he said they have confirmed reports that Akbar Bugti was inside the cave which collapsed due to reasons unknown so far.
He said a tribesman from Bugti clan, who was a guide to the law-enforcement agencies, had earlier entered the cave and confirmed the presence of people inside, including Akbar Bugti. After sometime the guide came back to the CO of the law-enforcement agencies, who then went inside the cave. During this process the cave collapsed suddenly leaving all inmates of the cave dead.
He said the CO had gone into the cave to negotiate with Akbar Bugti for his arrest as the government had intended to take him into custody.
Sultan said there was no conformation about the presence of any kin of Akbar Bugti, nor the government at any stage has provided any such information to the media.