KHAR: Seven people were killed and seven others received injuries when roofs of two houses collapsed in Khar town of Bajaur Agency on Monday morning.

According to local people and officials, the tragic incident took place early morning when boundary wall of Nawabzada Shamsul Wahab Khan’s fort collapsed. It destroyed two nearby houses owned by Munir Khan and Mohammad Ibrahim, they added. Officials of political administration said that the roofs of both the houses caved in due to rubble of the collapsed wall, killing seven people on the spot and wounding seven others.

Soon after the incident, people of nearby areas rushed to the site and started rescue work. They retrieved the bodies and injured from the rubble.

Later, the officials along with personnel of Levies Force also reached the area to participate in the rescue operation. The injured were shifted to agency headquarters hospital in Khar, from where one of them was referred to Peshawar in precious condition.

A doctor at the hospital told Dawn that they received seven bodies and seven injured. He said that women and children were among the dead and wounded.

According to the hospital staff, the deceased were identified as Ibadullah, Samia Bibi, Muska Bibi, Alia Bibi, Hamidullah, Zahid and Safia Bibi while the injured included Zahid Khan, Majid Khan, Gul Bibi, Shakila Bibi, Ibrahim, Wahid Khan and Zakir Khan.

Funeral prayers of all the deceased were held in Khar on Monday evening that were attended by a large number of local people and officials of political administration. The local administration has launched an inquiry into the incident to find out main causes of the occurrence.

However, the officials said that the wall had developed cracks during the last couple of months due to rain and earthquake. But no effort was made to repair the cracked wall, they added.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has expressed grief and sorrow over the loss of precious lives in the incident. In a statement, the prime minister prayed for the eternal peace of the departed souls and for early recovery of the injured.

Published in Dawn, October 24th, 2017