Deadly landslide buries trucks in Pakistan
18 April 2023, 07:34
The landslide, near the Afghanistan border, was triggered by lightning, officials said.
A massive landslide has struck a key highway in north-western Pakistan near the border town of Torkham, burying two dozen trucks and killing at least two people.
It was unclear how many people were missing and feared buried under the landslide.
Police official Ishrat Khan said dozens of firefighters and rescuers were trying to save truck drivers and other people hit by the landslide near the Afghan border. Officials said it was triggered by lightning during heavy rain.
At least one truck caught fire when it was struck by lightning, rescuers said.
The injured were taken to a nearby hospital and volunteers joined the search for survivors as authorities dispatched heavy machinery to Torkham to try and remove rocks and other debris.
Bilal Faizi, a spokesman for a state-run rescue service, said two bodies were pulled out and eight people were injured.
“Rescuers are very careful because there is a possibility of another landslide but they are risking their lives to pull out those feared trapped,” he said.
Torkham border crossing is a key trade route between Pakistan and Afghanistan and a location where landslides often block highways, especially in mountainous areas. It is also a major trade route between Pakistan and Central Asian states.
Last summer, devastating floods caused by monsoon rains killed 1,739 people in Pakistan.
