DROSH: Seven labourers were killed in rock/mudfall near Lowari tunnel today.
The incident occurred at around 11am when labourers were busy in their routine work. On the instructions of Deputy Commissioner Chitral, a rescue operation got underway and AC Drosh Mohammad Yousuf and DSP Zafar Ahmed along with other officials rushed to the site. The personnel the army, Chitral police, Chitral Scouts and Levies took part in rescue work. The personnel of the army also reached the scene from Dir side. After hectic efforts, the operation ended at around 4pm.
During the operation, seven bodies were retrieved from the debris. The figure was confirmed by AC Drosh Mohammad Yousuf. Five injured persons were shifted to the DHQ hospital in Dir upper.
The deceased were identified as Rehmat Zada (Alliyan Drosh), Ilyas (Osiak Drosh), Jalaluddin, Damil at present residing in Drosh, Nadeem Akhtar (Jhelum), Muhammad Kamran (Jhelum), Muhammad Asif (Layah) and Haji Iftikhar (Chakwal). Three out of the seven injured – Altaf, Zumarad and Qaiser Noor – belong to Punjab while the remaining three, Mujibur Rehman (Alliayan), Shakil (Jingerate), Bahader Wali (Jingerate) and Gul Alam (Kesu), Chitral.
It may be noted that since the start of the current rains/snowfall, nine people lost their lives in an avalanche in the Shershal village of Karimabad, one Chitral Scouts jawan was killed in Damel, while another man died in Torkhow. A man and a woman died after being hut by boulders in the Shishi Koh valley.