Mohmand marble mine death toll rises to 21

Ag APP

MOHMAND: The death toll of a marble mine collapse in the Mohmand district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa rose to 21 on Tuesday, Geo News reported quoting officials.

A day earlier, 12 miners were killed while 18 were injured when a marble quarry collapsed at the Ziarat Ghar mountain. More bodies were recovered from the rubble during a rescue operation which restarted on Tuesday.

Deputy Commissioner Iftikhar Alam had said he feared the number of casualties could rise while Mohmand District Police Officer Tariq Habib estimated that “15-20 people” were still trapped under the rubble and efforts were under way to rescue them. He added that heavy machinery and field staff of Rescue 1122 from Peshawar and Chardsadda were participating in the operation.

The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) had been asked to provide heavy machinery for rescue operations.