Two brothers dead as landslide hits vehicles in Upper Kohistan – Pakistan

Two brothers were killed on Saturday morning after a landslide struck as many vehicles in Upper Kohistan’s Lotar area in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Hazara division, officials said.

Yesterday, link roads connecting dozens of villages to the Mansehra-Naran-Jalkhad Road and the Karakoram Highway (KKH) in Hazara remained blocked as snowfall and rain continued for the fourth consecutive day.

Upper Kohistan Additional Assistant Commissioner (AAC) Khaib Gul confirmed to Dawn.com that the incident took place earlier today on the road between Dasu and Raikot.

An oil tanker and a poultry supplier truck were hit by landslide boulders, causing them to fall into a ravine, AAC Gul said.

He said the deceased brothers were identified as Islamzada and Sahibzada, while a statement released by the Upper Kohistan District Headquarters Hospital said they were aged 32 and 33 years, respectively.

“The bodies of both brothers are unrecognisable as they came under the debris of the slide, and both are residents of the Batkot area Shangla’s Bisham tehsil,” Gul said.

He added that arrangements were being made at the hospital for the bodies to be shifted to their native towns.

The road had now been cleared for traffic, the additional assistant commissioner stated.

Speaking about the KKH, AAC Gul said that the road remained blocked at Lotar. However, he added, machines have been dispatched to the location to remove rubble and open it for traffic.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has predicted another spell of rain across the country as a westerly wave is likely to approach on March 2.

According to the PMD, there is a possibility of landslides/avalanches in hilly areas of KP, Gilgit-Baltistan and Kashmir during the period.

Hailstorm is also expected at isolated places in upper KP, upper Punjab /Islamabad, and Kashmir. It advised tourists and travellers visiting mountainous areas to remain cautious during the period.

Moderate to heavy snowfalls may cause road closure/slippery conditions in Murree, Galliyat, Naran, Kaghan, Chitral, Dir, Swat, Kohistan, Manshera, Abbottabad, Shangla, Astore, Hunza, Skardu, Neelum valley, Bagh, Poonch, Haveli during the forecast period, the PMD said.