Landslide leaves five dead in Skardu

SKARDU: Five people were killed after a vehicle carrying multiple passengers got caught in a landslide in Skardu, the police said on Sunday.

The passengers were buried in the landslide and rescue teams recovered four bodies from the site, said Deputy Commissioner Arif Ahmed.

He said that search was continuing to recover other bodies, adding that an excavator and additional rescue personnel have been sent to remove debris under which the passenger vehicle was buried.

The deceased hailed from Shengus village, the police added.

In another incident, three people were killed after a jeep travelling from Sharda to Kel plunged into a ditch in Azad Jammu and Kashmir’s (AJK) Neelum Valley. Seven others were also injured and shifted to hospital, Dr Muhammad Ashraf Khan said. Two are in critical condition. Witnesses say the accident involving people of the same family occurred due to snow on the road.

Meanwhile, in a separate accident, a vehicle fell into a ravine in Astore leaving five passengers injured and one dead. The wounded, as per the police, have been shifted to hospital. Eight people were travelling in the vehicle and four among them who had minor injuries were discharged.

The incidents come in the wake of weather changes that have gripped the Northern Areas with intermittent snowfall at Babusar Top, Nanga Parbat and other areas. Landslides and accidents are not uncommon in these treacherous terrains.