Eight children lost their lives in northern Pakistan due to a landslide while playing cricket following heavy monsoon rains. The officials confirmed the incident on Friday, marking a year since the unprecedented floods wreaked havoc in the South Asian nation. The tragic event occurred in the remote Shangla district on Thursday evening, and all the children were between the ages of 12 and 15.
According to Sanaullah Khan, the officer of the district emergency unit, nearly 15 children had set up a cricket pitch near a sand rock when it collapsed under the weight of the rain, burying them beneath the debris. Local rescue teams, joined later by the Pakistan army, tirelessly worked for hours and managed to recover eight bodies. One of the remaining children sustained critical injuries, while the rest were fortunate to escape unharmed. Bilal Khan, another official, acknowledged the assistance provided by villagers who promptly rushed to the scene before the arrival of the rescue teams.
Last season, Pakistan experienced abnormal monsoon rains and glacial melting, resulting in historic flooding that ravaged the mountainous northern regions and the southern plains. The catastrophe claimed the lives of over 1,700 people, displaced millions, and inflicted billions of dollars in losses. With the current monsoon season underway, the country’s disaster management authorities have already issued alerts of heavy rains, heightening the risk of renewed flooding.
