QUETTA: Balochistan’s land route with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was cut off on Saturday after a landslide on the highway connecting Zhob to Dera Ismail Khan.

According to officials, the lan­dslide occurred near Dhanasar area of D.I. Khan, leaving a large number of vehicles, including passenger coaches, trucks and cars stranded on both sides.

A senior official of Balochistan Levies told Dawn that passengers, including women and children, are stuck due to the landslide which started suddenly despite no rainfall. No loss of life has so far been reported.

The National Highway Autho­rity North General Manager Inayatullah Agha said machinery and NHA staff had reached the site and started removing the boulders.

He said traffic was expected to be restored by late at night once the highway is cleared.

In April, the Kuchlak-D.I. Khan N-50 highway connecting the two provinces, was blocked after torrential rains caused landslides in Balochistan’s Sherani district.

The torrential rains in KP’s bordering mountains and the Koh-i-Sulaiman also caused intense flooding in the border areas, leaving a large number of passenger buses and smaller vehicles stranded.

Published in Dawn, May 7th, 2023