CHITRAL: The body of another student was retrieved from snow on Wednesday.

The victim was among nine students who were buried alive after an avalanche hit them in Susoom village of Karimabad valley on March 19. So far the bodies of five students have been recovered while four are still under the debris of snow.

District council member Mohammad Yaqoob told Dawn on phone that the body of Fayaz Ali Shah, son of Subhan Shah, surfaced when a layer of snow was removed by spraying water on the avalanche.

He expressed hope that the bodies of the remaining four students would be recovered by applying the same method of spraying water to melt snow. He said another body had been spotted under the ice and efforts were being made to retrieve it. The search for the bodies would continue in the night under floodlights, he added.

Personnel of the National Disaster Management Authority, Chitral Scouts, Levies and police, as well as local volunteers, are taking part in the search operation.

Meanwhile, Chitral Scouts commandant Col Nizamuddin Shah visited the village on Wednesday and reviewed the progress of search operation. He distributed cash amounts among the families of the victims.

The compensation was announced by the General Officer Commanding of the Pakistan Army, Maj Gen Nadir Khan.

Talking to Dawn, Col Shah said the army and Chitral Scouts would remain in the area till the recovery of the last body and provide all possible relief to the affected people.

He also distributed warm clothes and food items among the affected people of Parsan and Susoom villages.

Published in Dawn, March 31st, 2016