10 killed in Malakand, Shangla road accidents

BATKHELA/ ALPURI: At least 10 persons were killed and three others injured in two separate road accidents in Malakand and Shangla districts on Thursday.

Police officials said five persons of a family, including women and children, were killed when a car fell into a canal near the Afghan refugee camp in Dargai tehsil of Malakand district.

Upon receiving the information, they said, the rescue personnel and local volunteers launched a water search operation. After an extensive effort, they recovered the bodies of 55-year-old Razia, widow of Saeed Shah, 25-year-old Madiha, 22-year-old Asma, daughters of Saeed Shah, 4-year-old Minahil, resident of Dargai Phatak and 56-year-old driver Imtiaz Hussain, a resident of Islamabad. The bodies were later shifted to the hospital in Dargai. Authorities confirmed that all victims belonged to the same family.

In another road accident in Shangla district, five people were killed and three others injured when a Land Cruiser vehicle fell into a gorge in Malikhel Kotkay area near Alpuri.

According to police, the accident occurred shortly before Iftar due to over- speeding and the Land Cruiser was traveling towards Puran on the main road. “Out of the eight passengers on board, five died on the spot, while three sustained critical injuries,” said an official.

Rescue officials, led by Emergency Officer Khan Muhammad, responded immediately upon receiving the alert. The injured were initially shifted to the District Headquarters Hospital in Alpuri and later transferred to Saidu Sharif Hospital in Swat for advanced medical treatment.

Local residents assisted rescue teams in retrieving the victims. The deceased have been identified as Salman Khan, Rehmatullah, Amir Sohail, Fazal Butt, and Faisal Khan, while the injured include Sarfaraz, Zafar Khan, and Naseeb Basharat. All the victims belong to the Puran tehsil of Shangla district.