KARACHI, July 9: As many as 2,000 people, stranded in Awaran (Balochistan) due to a landslide caused by torrential rains while on their way to Karachi in 35 buses and trucks, were rescued by a relief team on Wednesday morning.

The passengers were stranded some 350 kilometres from heresince Sunday as the landslide, amid torrential rains, had blocked the road, Edhi Foundation sources told Dawn.

According to the sources, the Foundation was informed of the problem by the relatives of the stranded people.

The Foundation had dispatched a relief team which rushed to the spot early Wednesday and it found the victims in a miserable condition, the sources said, adding that the people had run out of food and water.

“They had to consume the rain water which had accumulated in a pond,” Rizwan Edhi of the Foundation said.

The blocked road was cleared by the relief team which had arranged heavy earth-mover and equipment in collaboration with local authorities.

Among the rescued people were six children, who were in a serious condition. They were shifted to a local hospital and clinics in Uthal, Edhi sources said.

“The stranded people had lost a link with the rest of the world. We used satellite phone to keep in touch with our office in Karachi during the rescue operation, the Edhi Foundation said.

The Edhi team, carrying relief goods also, had left Karachi for Awaran late Tuesday.