MANSEHRA: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mahmood Khan on Sunday announced an amount of Rs500,000 each for the families of the 24 people who drowned after a van they were traveling in fell into Kandia stream due to collapse of a suspension bridge in Upper Kohistan the other day.

“I have no words to express my heartfelt sorrow and grief with you on this great loss of your loved ones, but the government will pay an amount of Rs500,000 to each victim’s family as compensation,” he told a group of bereaved families in Kandia.

Commissioner Hazara Zaheerul Islam, deputy commissioner Hamidur Rehman and district police officer Raja Abdul Saboor Khan also accompanied the CM during his visit to Kandia, a highly conservative and remote part of Upper Kohistan.

Says road infrastructure in remote area will be improved

The chief minister, who flew to Upper Kohistan in the morning from Peshawar, told the bereaved families that the government would also pay an amount of Rs100,000 each to those who sustained injuries in the tragic accident.

“I know this is the remotest part of our province without a proper road infrastructure, and I order the district administration to prepare PC-1 of the roads in Kandia valley and send it to me so that work on their improvement could be started,” said Mr Mahmood.

The chief minister also offered Fateha for the departed souls and said a skilled divers’ team would accompany locals in fishing out the bodies.

Earlier, the deputy commissioner told the CM that out of 24 people drowned bodies of only eight could be fished out as yet.

Meanwhile, the search operation to fish out rest of the bodies continued on Sunday, but without results.

TWO DIE AFTER TAKING LIQUOR: Two staff members of a hotel in tourist resort of Shogran died after drinking liquor on Sunday.

Noman Maseh and Arsalan Maseh, who have been working as sweepers at the hotel, had drunk liquor, which according to police, was abandoned by customers in a room.

They fell unconscious and rushed to a nearby hospital where doctors pronounced both of them dead.

The bodies were dispatched to their native towns in Gujranwala and Gujrat in Punjab.

Also, a young Afghan, Naik Mohammad, 10, was killed over an old enmity in Gandia area.

The police have booked five people for allegedly stoning to death the young boy.

Published in Dawn, September 2nd, 2019