At least eight children died while one was injured after a landslide struck the Kuz Kaly area of Martung tehsil in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Shangla district on Thursday, officials said.

Shangla Deputy Commissioner Hassan Abid confirmed the death toll to Dawn.com.

“Eight bodies and an injured girl have been pulled out of the rubble and moved to the hospital,” he said.

According to Abid, a massive landslide had struck the area when the children were playing cricket and buried them underneath.

He said Rescue 1122 teams had immediately arrived at the site to retrieve the children and an emergency had been declared in the Martunga rural health centre and Puran Tehsil Headquarters Hospital, where the bodies and wounded were shifted.

The official added that heavy machines had been engaged in the rescue work and residents also took part in the operation, which has now concluded.

“As per the KP government’s policy, the families of the deceased will get a compensation of Rs500,000 while Rs200,000 will be given to the injured child,” DC Abid said.

Meanwhile, residents of the area told Dawn.com that most of the deceased children, aged between nine and 14 years, were siblings.