Peshawar, Jul 6 (PTI) At least eight children were killed on Thursday after a landslide struck a mountainous area in northwest Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, police said.

A massive landslide struck the Martung area in the Shangla district when around nine to 14 children were playing cricket, burying them underneath, Deputy Commissioner Hassan Abid said.

Also Read | Pakistan Rains: Heavy Rainfall Claim 17 Lives, Leave at Least 49 Injured in Punjab.

The children, aged between 12-14 years, were trapped under the debris of the landslide, Abid said, adding that one child is still missing.

Efforts are underway to trace the remaining child.

Also Read | British Tourist Faces 5 Years of Imprisonment for Carving Girlfriend’s Initials Into Colosseum, Begs Forgiveness As the Video Goes Viral.

Rescue 1122 teams reached the site to retrieve the children, and an emergency was declared in the Martunga rural health centre and the Puran Tehsil Headquarters Hospital.

Heavy machines were engaged in the rescue work, and residents also took part in the operation.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)