TARTANI (Kahan Tehsil), Aug 30: An overpowering stench of decomposing bodies hung in the air on Wednesday as army engineers sought to clear the rubble of the remote cave, reportedly Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti’s last sanctuary before he was killed in a military operation at the weekend.

The military flew a team of newsmen to the Kalghari area sandwiched between the Karmowadh and Tartani areas in the Kahan tehsil of the Kohlu district.

The isolated cave is hemmed in on all sides by mountains. A military helicopter deposited the media team at a ridge.

They then made a downward trek of around 2,500 feet to reach the cave.

Articles of clothing, Baloch caps, a broken camel saddle bag and a small bag of red chilies lay strewn around the cave’s mouth.

Brig Nasarullah Abeer, in-charge of the team of army engineers, told newsmen that if the cave was found to be very deep, the process of recovering the bodies of Nawab Bugti and an unknown number of his associates would take around a week.

The newsmen could also smell the explosives that must have been used in the army operation three days ago.

“The cave, rocked by an explosion on Aug 26, is in a bad condition. We have placed wooden beams to provide support to whatever is left of the cave’s roof,” he said, adding that after completing this work, they would bring heavy machinery to the site to clear the rubble which currently sat at the cave’s entrance.

Another senior army official said the area had been heavily mined and the engineers had cleared the bed of the seasonal Tartani River to reach the cave.

He added that at least seven anti-tank mines had also been cleared.

The adviser to the Balochistan chief minister, Mr Raziq Bugti, who accompanied the media team, said a group of 14 armed men had surrendered to the army before the Aug 26 operation.

“It was they who told the army about the presence of Nawab Bugti in the cave. Since the cave is L-shaped, its length must be between 80 to 100 feet,” he surmised.