Torkham: The bodies of Afghan nationals are still missing hours after a massive landslide near Torkham border town in Northwestern Pakistan has killed at least two Afghan nationals and injured eight others yesterday. 20 trucks were buried after a landslide occurred following a strong thunderstorm on the main road through Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Khyber Pass near the Afghanistan’s border.
Sources reveal that authorities are trying to recover the bodies of Afghan nationals and fear that dozens of people are trapped beneath the rubble as rescue operations are underway. As authorities are tying to clear the connecting road between the two countries, Deputy Commissioner of Khyber district, Abdul Nasir Khan said that this was a big landslide and the evacuation process will take some time. “Around 20 to 25 vehicles were buried in the wreckage”, he further added.
Officials have said that the fire broke out immediately after the landslide as drivers were preparing for sehri, a pre-dawn meal during Ramadan. Torkham border crossing is a key trade route between Pakistan and Afghanistan and a location where landslide often block highways, but this time it claimed lives. A major route between Pakistan and Central Asian states, it killed 1,739 people in last summer due to the devastating floods caused by monsoon rains.