Man dies inside Lowari tunnel
CHITRAL, Dec 3: A man died of suffocation inside the Lowari tunnel on Monday afternoon.
Attiqur Rahman of Kohat was coming to Chitral from Upper Dir when he fainted after travelling hardly one kilometre inside the tunnel.
He was rushed to the civil hospital in Drosh where he was pronounced dead. The deceased was coming to Chitral from Kotwali Kohat to attend a wedding function of his friend and was traveling in a corolla car.
Another person had died due to the suffocation inside the tunnel last week.
Meanwhile, the operator of PTCL telephone exchange Arandu Haji Musa died while starting electricity generator on Monday evening when his clothes were pulled by the fan belt of the engine.–Zahiruddin]]>
@Ejaz: Well, the cause of deaths cannot be attributed to the design of the tunnel. Tunnels need a proper ventilation system and a healthy supply of oxygen throughout the day. Lowari Tunnel is still under-construction and it is extremely dangerous for elderly people as well as those with heart/breathing related problems to travel through the tunnel as the oxygen count there is extremely low. Travelling the eight kilometers unpaved road and that too deep inside a mountain is a fatal risk for people with heart problems. Once the tunnel is operational, there would be a proper ventilation system and enough supply of oxygen.
I am not an expert but request some expert to explain to me whether these deaths have anything to do with the design of the tunnel. It seems very dangerous as the government without any know-how has changed the design from rail to road tunnel just to tamper with the mega project launched by Musharraf. Two deaths within less than two months and the incidents need investigation. What would happen when the tunnel is fully operational with traffic increasing manifold with the opening up of the Tajikistan road?