“The incident happened in the playground near the village while children were playing cricket,” Martung SHO Ajmal Khan told Aaj News. He also confirmed the number of bodies to us.

Rescue 1122 officials feared more casualties as they recovered eight bodies in the evacuation efforts where locals were also seen taking part. Footage showed that an excavator was used to search for bodies.

A list from the hospital showed that the age of the children was between six to 15 years. “It is a sad incident and today will be a day of mourning,” Tehsil Nazim Martong Dr Tahir Zeib told Aaj News.

A relief operation was under way to find missing children.

The Pakistan Army mobilised its teams and sent them for the rescue mission in Shangla. They would provide all possible assistance to the civil administration in the rescue mission, said a statement.

Eyewitnesses said that several children were under the rubble. Initially, five bodies were recovered with the help of locals. As many as three ambulances, 22 personnel, and an excavator were performing duties during the relief operation.

Bodies were shifted to the nearest hospital in Martung.

Rescue officials informed that they were carefully working with the heavy machine as there were chances of children being alive.

The passage to Shangla’s Martung was difficult and the road was very narrow. It is near the Todgarh district of Hazara Divison. Locals were of the view that there were no special machines, which could determine whether children were alive or not

KP Governor Haji Ghulam Ali and interim chief minister Muhammad Azam Khan were grieved over the accident.

The caretaker CM sought a report of the incident from the relevant authorities. “Saddened by the death of innocent children in the accident,” Khan said.