BUNER: At least seven people were killed and seven others injured after an abandoned marble mine collapsed here on Saturday noon. Several are feared to be trapped under the rubble.

According to eye-witnesses, the dead and injured included mine workers, drivers and cleaners of over 20 vehicles. They were buried under the rubble of the collapsed mine in Bompukha Chelikar area of Buner district, they said.

According to rescue workers, so far seven bodies and seven injured were recovered. They feared more people were trapped as rescue work was under way till the filing of the report.

The casualties were confirmed by the district administration, police and medics in DHQ Hospital Daggar.

The dead included Fazal Ghani, Qadeem, Said Rahman, Muzlfi Khan of Buner district, Kamran and Farman of Landi Kotal (Khyber tribal district) and Hazrat Hussain of Barikot Swat district.

The injured included Fazal Diyar, Raj Mohammad, Fazal Ghafoor and Abdul Ghafoor from Buner district, Sher Akbar from Mardan district and Sajid and Wajid from Swabi district.

The bodies and injured were shifted to district headquarter hospital Daggar. Later, the bodies were shifted to their native villages through ambulances. Four of the critical injured were referred to Peshawar.

After the incident, officials of the district administration, police, security personnel, Ehsaas Foundation, Alkhidmat Foundation volunteers and locals took part in rescue work. Scores of people thronged DHQ Hospital Daggar to donate blood.

According to injured and eye witnesses, the victims had gathered for lunch and rest when heavy deposits of marble collapsed, leaving them buried under the debris. The locals said they heard a huge bang and dust was blowing in the sky from the site of the incident.

Marble transporters leaders Abdul Sattar Bunerwal and Naseeb Khan told media persons that about 20 ten-wheeler vehicles came under the debris. They said some people were rescued while nine of them were still under the rubble. They said the death toll might increase as several others were feared trapped.

The district administration officials said that army special teams were expected to reach from Islamabad to help rescue injured persons, if any, and retrieve the remaining bodies.

KP Minister for Public Health Riaz Khan, MNA Sher Akbar Khan, MPAs Syed Fakhar Jihan Bacha and Sardar Babak rushed to the spot. They also visited families of victims and injured in hospitals.

Published in Dawn, February 23rd, 2020