Seven people were killed and several others injured when an avalanche hit Ziarat area near Lowari Tunnel in district Chitral on Sunday. Seven dead persons were mechanics and technical staff of the Korean construction company SAMBU.
According to Deputy Commissioner (DC) Chitral the area was hit by land sliding and avalanche at 11.00 A.M. As a result 14 people were covered under the debris of heavy stones and rocks. Chitral Levies, Chitral Scouts and Chitral Police along with local volunteers took part in the rescue operation and they recovered seven bodies and seven injured from the site of the avalanche. The injured were rushed to Peshawar for medical treatment.
DC Chitral informed that those who were killed in the deadly incident were identified as Rahmat Zada, Rahmat Ghazi and Jalal Khan, residents of Drosh Chitral. Nadeem Khan, Haji Iftikhar, Kamran Khan and Muhammad Asif residents of Punjab.
The injured were identified as Altaf Hussain of Liya Punjab, Zamarrut Hussain of Gojar Khan, Qaisar Nisar of Sialkot, Shakeel Ahmad of Jinjirat Koh Chitral, Gul Alam of Drosh Chitral, Mujeeb of Dhameer Arando Chitral, and Bahadar Wali of Drosh Chitral.
A statement issued by the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) said that there were several incidents of avalanches and landslides during last 24 hours in different parts of Chitral.
The first incident took place at Rech valley near Booni on the night between 17th and 18th February 2017. The incident resulted in one death, while three other got injured.
The incident was followed by another incident of landslide on the north portal of Lawari Tunnel trapping 14 personnel of SAMBU Company.
The Chief Minister KP issued directions to the Secretary RRS Department Ahmad Hanif Orakzai and DG, PDMA to immediately mount a rescue/relief operation in the affected area.
The PDMA-KP is in close contact with DC Chitral and all other DCs so as to closely monitor the situation. The spokesman further added that PDMA control room is operational 24/7 and is in contact with all districts.
People from each affected district have been asked for dialing PDMA control room on 1700 or 0919223662 for any guidance. Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has expressed his grief over the loss of lives and gives directions to PDMA and district administration to provide medical treatment to the injured.
In another incident heavy avalanche hit a house and its nearby cattle house in Ajoo goal, Garamchishma area. As a result 25 cattle died under the debris of avalanche but people of the house miraculously survived.
Roads of Arkari valley, Broghul Kan khoon are still blocked due to heavy snowfall.