Landslide near Torkham border kills two, buries vehicles

Islamabad [Pakistan], April 18 : A huge landslide in northwestern Pakistan killed at least two people, wounded several others and buried over 20 vehicles, according to Voice of America (VoA).

The landslide occurred early on Tuesday on the main road between Pakistan and Afghstan.

Over 20 trucks were buried in the disaster, which struck at the border crossing on the Khyber Pass, a major point of trade between the South Asian nations. Several people were also injured.

Officials said a heavy rain storm overnight could have triggered the landslide.

Bilal Faizi, spokesman for the Rescue 1122 service in the province, told Al Jazeera that the landslide took place before dawn after rain and thunderstorm were reported in the area.

Faizi said authorities have launched a search operation to look for people trapped under the landslide. He said there could be more than 20 vehicles, including large trucks, under the rubble.

"This is not a small landslide that can be cleaned up quickly. We have more than 60 people working here to remove the rubble. It's like an entire mountain has collapsed," Al Jazeera quoted Faizi as saying.

Earlier, in March, Torkham border was closed for several hours owing to a protest by the Khugakhel tribesmen in the Landi Kotal region of Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa against the construction of a customs terminal at the border over their additional land without their formal consent, Dawn reported.

The agitated Khugakhel tribesmen agreed to open the road, which was closed at Torkham bypass in Landi Kotal after a group of their negotiating team held a series of talks with relevant officials.

Dawn reported that they managed to persuade the National Logistic Cell authorities to suspend work on the terminal till a solution was found to their objection to the acquisition of extra land without their consent.

Inayat Afridi, a medical officer at a state-run hospital in Landi Kotal, a town nearly 7km (4 miles) from the landslide, told Al Jazeera an Afghan national is among those dead. He added that the hospital received at least four injured people.

"We treated two Pakists and two Afghans at the hospital for minor wounds while there is one dead body with us as yet," he said, according to Al Jazeera.