Remains of ‘16 abducted coalminers’ found in K-P mass grave

Kohat DPO says DNA test is being carried out to uncover truth behind the incident that took place nearly a decade ago

KOHAT:

The remains of 16 unidentified persons have been recovered from a mass grave in Toor Chapper, a remote area of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s Darra Adam Khel town, police said.

The remains likely belonged to coalminers abducted by militants from Kalakhel area in 2011, Kohat DPO Suhail Khalid told The Express Tribune on Friday, adding that local tribesmen were approached to identify the victims.

At least 34 coalminers had gone missing in K-P’s Shangla district in September 2011 after at least two dozen militants raided the base camp of the labourers mostly hailed from Swat, Kohistan and Shangla areas of Malakand Division.

“The remains of bodies will undergo a DNA test, which will help uncover the truth about the incident which led to their death,” the police official added.

Meanwhile, a rescue official said that bodies were recovered during a search operation in Toor Chapper area.

According to him, the remains belonged to 16 out of 34 miners who had gone missing in 2011 while working in the field. Bodies of the labourers were being shifted to their ancestral towns, he added.