Massive landslide buries trucks in northwest Pakistan

A massive landslide struck a key highway near the Torkham border town in northwestern Pakistan before dawn Tuesday, burying several trucks and injuring some people, police and rescue officials said.Police official Ishrat Khan said dozens of firefighters and rescuers were trying to save the lives of the truck drivers and other people hit by the landslide near Afghanistan.

A massive landslide struck a key highway near the Torkham border town in northwestern Pakistan before dawn Tuesday, burying several trucks and injuring some people, police and rescue officials said.

Police official Ishrat Khan said dozens of firefighters and rescuers were trying to save the lives of the truck drivers and other people hit by the landslide near Afghanistan. Officials said the landslide was triggered by lightning amid rain. He said the injured are being transported to a nearby hospital. Volunteers have also joined the search for survivors. Authorities are dispatching heavy machinery to Torkham so that the massive mudslide could be removed, Khan said.

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

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