ISLAMABAD: A group of Pakistani geologists visited an area prone to landslides near the country’s Torkham border with Afghanistan on Sunday to conduct a technical survey and evaluate risk after several trucks and people were buried under mud, rocks, and other debris last week.
According to local officials, the landslide was caused by thunder and lightning amid bad weather, burying around 25 vehicles and their containers in the wreckage.
Radio Pakistan reported that the rescue and relief operation in the area was completed by the authorities earlier in the day, helping them retrieve eight dead bodies and several trucks from the rubble.
“A team of PDMA [the Provincial Disaster Management Authority in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa] visited the landslide-prone area in Torkham along with a team of geologists...and landslide experts,” said an official statement. “The purpose of the visit was to conduct a detailed technical survey of the landslide site and its surrounding areas for landslide risk assessments.”
“The team conducted a thorough survey of the site and analyzed the geological conditions and other environmental factors contributing to the risk of landslides in the area,” the statement added.
It informed that the findings of the survey would be shared with relevant stakeholders and officials to ensure that appropriate action was taken to address the risks identified in the area.
Torkham is one of the busiest border crossings between Pakistan and Afghanistan, used by thousands of transporters and pedestrians traveling between the two countries on a daily basis.
According to Radio Pakistan, most of the dead bodies retrieved from the wreckage belonged to Afghan nationals.
Pakistani authorities are currently clearing the highway and opening it for traffic once again.
