The traffic between Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) has been completely suspended due to the landslide at N-50 National Highway in Balochistan's Dhana Sar.
According to the National Highway Authority, a large part of the road at the KP and Balochistan border has caved in due to the landslide.
Balochistan Provincial District Management Authority (PDMA) Director General (DG) Naseer Khan Nasir told Dawn.com that the National Highway connecting KP’s Dera Ismail Khan and Balochistan’s Zhob was “completely closed off due to landslides” at the above-mentioned locations.
He added that the recent torrential rains in KP’s bordering mountains and the Koh-i-Sulaiman range had led to floods in Balochistan and bordering areas of KP.
The PDMA official further said a large number of passenger buses and smaller vehicles were stranded.
He added that the administration had stopped passenger buses coming from Islamabad, Peshawar and Swat while those going from Balochistan to KP were stopped at Zhob and Sherani.
The PDMA DG said “heavy machinery and teams” have reached the location to remove the rubble and aid in the rescue efforts.
According to the NHA's General Manager Agha Inayatullah, the first priority is to evacuate those who are stranded at the site while a rescue operation is underway to remove the debris with help of heavy machinery.
The rescue operation at the site is facing difficulties due to continuous traffic, said the NHA, adding that they have sought assistance from the Zhob and Loralai's civil administration to stop traffic.
Meanwhile, the Levies officials said that seven people were injured in a landslide incident at N-50 National Highway in Balochistan's Dhana Sar and have been shifted to a nearby hospital.
The incident also damaged four vehicles, said the levies officials.
The rescue officials said that the stormy weather is intensifying at the fault site in the Sulaiman Mountains.
