KHYBER: Rescue workers on Thursday retrieved two more dead bodies from the rubble of the Tuesday landslide near Torkham border.

With the retrieval of two more bodies, the death toll reached five while rescue workers and relatives of the transporters, whose vehicles were crushed under huge rocks and mud, believed that at least six more persons were still buried under the rubble. All the five dead persons were Afghan nationals.

Sources said that the rescue operation was painstakingly slow as only three cranes were at work at site of accident while local volunteers and Rescue 1122 staff were without any heavy machinery.

They said that local transporters and custom clearing agents hired two cranes on their own expenses while the Afghan government sent one to help expedite the removal of rocks and mud from site of the landslide.

Rescuers believe six more persons still buried under rubble

The transporters, whose vehicle were affected by the landslide, said that cement, sugar, tyres and other goods worth millions of rupees were also badly damaged due to the massive landslide, the first of its type in Torkham during the last few decades.

Meanwhile, local leaders of Jamaat-i-Islami leaders and volunteers of Al-Khidmat Foundation demanded immediate removal of Landi Kotal tehsildar for his alleged misbehaviour with them during the visit of caretaker chief minister and governor to the landslide site on Wednesday.

Addressing a news conference at Landi Kotal Press Club on Thursday, JI leader Muqtadir Shah and his party workers alleged that tehsildar Daud Afridi tried to prevent them from talking to governor and caretaker chief minister and even used abusive language when they tried to reach out to the two visiting dignitaries.

They said that the role and status of a tehsildar was reduced to a ‘low grade’ official of the revenue department after the merger of former tribal areas with the province. They said that the tehsildar was not supposed to interfere in the administrative matters of tehsil.

They said that JI would launch protest throughout Khyber if the official was not transferred from its present post within one week.

Elections: Taimur Afridi panel won the annual elections for Khyber Cricket Association for the third consecutive year.

The elections were held under the auspices of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

According to a statement, PCB central office in Lahore said that Mohammad Aamir Afridi was elected president of Khyber Cricket Association while other office-bearers included general secretary Abdullah Afridi and finance secretary Sajid Ali Kukikhel.

Published in Dawn, April 21st, 2023