Trapped in Kalat: Army copters rescue five men

Security forces’ help sought to clear out highways which were closed due to snow.

QUETTA: The Kalat district’s administration sought the help of the army by using their helicopters to rescue five persons trapped in the Harboi hill station.

Commissioner Kalat Division Hashim Khan Ghalzai told The Express Tribune, “Army helicopters after receiving a ‘mayday’ message, rescued five persons who were struck in the area since the last three days due to the four feet snow.” The commissioner added that the rescued persons have been shifted to a safe place.

The local administration of Kalat and other areas of central and northern Balochistan also sought the army and the Frontier Corps help to clear out the highways which were closed due to the snow.

Meanwhile, Director General Provincial Disaster Management Authority Aslam Tareen revealed that five villages of Mastung district are still cut off from the main cities. He added that the link roads to those areas are still blocked with heavy snow.

Tareen said that the PDMA will be launching relief operations to provide relief goods to the people struck up in the five villages. He added that the relief goods will be drooped in these villages through helicopters. The DG PDMA added that the PDMA has also requested the interior ministry for providing the helicopters.

The DG PDMA said that the five villages were located in the Dashat tehsil of Mastung district, where 50,000 packets of relief goods will be dropped. He said that each packet contains rashan for six persons.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 18^th, 2017.