Avalanche kills seven near Lowari Tunnel
peshawar — An avalanche killed seven people and injured many in the Ziarat area near Lowari Tunnel, Chitral Valley, on Sunday. Lowari Tunnel connects the districts of Dir and Chitral in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Four people are reportedly trapped beneath the snow, while seven injured have been taken to hospital.
An official also said the dead were mechanics and members of technical staff of Sambu, a Korean construction company.
Chitral Deputy Commissioner Shahab Hameed Yousafzai said the avalanche, triggered by continuous heavy snowfall, hit a rock overlooking a workshop of the Korean company, which is involved in the construction of 8.5km-long Lowari tunnel.
The incident occurred at 11am. Initially 14 people were buried under the debris and heavy stones and rocks. Levies, scouts and local police along with volunteers started the rescue operation and recovered seven bodies while seven injured were rushed to Peshawar for medical treatment.
The deputy commissioner said those killed were identified as Rahmatzada, Jalal Khan, Rahmat Ghazi, Nadeem Khan, Haji Iftikhar, Kamran Khan and Mohammed Asif.
The injured were identified as Altaf Hussain, Zamarrut Hussain, Qaisar Nisar, Shakeel Ahmad, Gul Alam, Mujeeb, and Bahadar Wali.
District Police Officer Syed Akbar Ali Shah said 25 cattle died after the house of Kabeeruddin, a resident of Ajoo goal, Garamchishma, was hit by the avalanche.
The deputy commissioner said that roads leading to Arkari valley, Broghul Kankhoon, were blocked due to heavy snowfall.
An avalanche hit a Chitral scouts post a few years back, killing seven soldiers.