CHITRAL: Bad weather hampered on Thursday search for seven students who were buried alive under an avalanche near Susoom village in Karimabad valley a few days ago. The operation had to be suspended midday after snow started falling.

Nine students were returning to the village after appearing in their matriculation examination on Saturday when the avalanche hit them. Bodies of two students were retrieved on Sunday.

Mir Dulla Jan, a resident of Susoom, told Dawn on Thursday that the area had received more than four inches of snow since the afternoon.

Personnel of Chitral Scouts, police, Levies along with volunteers and a team of the NDMA have been involved in the search operation.

Deputy Commissioner Osama Ahmed Warraich said that a helicopter taking army engineers and equipment for locating bodies had to land in the Upper Dir district because of the snowfall on Thursday afternoon.

He said the engineers had left by road for Susoom village and would reach there soon to accelerate the search operation.

Published in Dawn, March 25th, 2016