Pakistan Landslide Buries Lorries, Traps Dozens of People

By Staff, Agencies

A landslide during a thunderstorm on the main road through the Khyber Pass in north-west Pakistan buried at least 10 lorries on Tuesday and dozens of people were feared trapped, officials said.

"Ten to 15 trucks were completely or partially covered by the landslide close to the Torkham border due to a lightning strike during the storm," Abdul Nasir Khan, deputy commissioner of the Khyber district, told Reuters.

Three injured people had been found and rescue teams were searching for more survivors, officials said.

The pre-dawn landslide struck a key road that connects Pakistan with land-locked Afghanistan.

Police official Ishrat Khan said dozens of firefighters and rescuers were trying to save the lives of the lorry drivers and other people affected.

He said the injured are being taken to a nearby hospital. Volunteers have also joined the search for survivors. Authorities are dispatching heavy machinery to Torkham so that the mudslide can be removed, Khan said.

Torkham border crossing is a trade route between Pakistan and Afghanistan where landslides often block roads, especially in the mountainous areas. Last summer, floods caused by monsoon rains killed 1,739 people in Pakistan.