8 kids playing cricket die in Shangla landslide

BISHAM: Eight children were killed and one injured when a mass of earth fell on them while playing cricket in Martung area of the Shangla district on Thursday, officials and locals said.

They said the kids were playing cricket when the landslide occurred, burying them alive.

The news about the incident panicked the villagers who rushed to the site, looking for their loved ones.

Initially, there was no information about the exact number of children trapped under the rubble. Announcements were made from the loudspeakers of mosques, asking parents to check homes for the missing kids. The locals and cops launched rescue operation soon after the incident. However, the Rescue 1122 team reached the far-off area late owing to the poor condition of muddy road. “We have recovered the bodies of eight children,” a rescue official said.

The children were between 13 to 15 years. Four of them were bothers. The dead included Shayan and Raza, sons of Mahfoozullah and Zafaran and Sajawal, sons of Taj Karim.

The rest of the victims were identified as Ayan, Haris, Azmat and Rahmatullah. As many as 22 rescue workers took part in the operation, which continued for a long time.