A great landslide in the northwest of Pakistan killed at least three peopleinjured several more and buried almost two dozens of vehiclesaccording to the authorities.
The landslide occurred early Tuesday morning near Torkham, a key border crossing between Pakistan and Afghanistan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
Drivers fear they will be buried under rubble
Local police officer Saleem Kalachi said three people have been killed in the incident so far.
“This is a large landslide and the evacuation process will take some time to complete. There are around 20 to 25 vehicles that were buried under the landslide,” he added.
Bilal Faizi, spokesman for the 1122 Rescue service in the province, told Al Jazeera that the landslide occurred before dawn after showers and thunderstorms were reported in the area.
Faizi said authorities have launched a search operation to search for people trapped under the landslide. He said there could be more than 20 vehicles, including large trucks, under the rubble.
“This is not a small landslide that can be cleaned up quickly. We have more than 60 people working here to remove the debris. It’s like a whole mountain has collapsed,” she said.
The Torkham crossing was closed for more than a week in February this year due to tensions between the Pakistani and Afghan authorities following clashes on the border.
Inayat Afridi, a medical officer at a state hospital in Landi Kotal, a town nearly 7 km (4 miles) from the landslide, mentioned that an Afghan national was among the dead. She added that the hospital received at least four wounded.
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