Pakistan landslide kills two with dozens more trapped

Lorries buried on motorway near Torkham border town in north-west of country

The aftermath of the landslide near Torkham in north-western Pakistan. AP

A landslide during a thunderstorm on the main road through the Khyber Pass in north-west Pakistan buried at least 10 lorries on Tuesday, killing two with dozens feared trapped, officials said.

"Ten to 15 trucks were completely or partially covered by the landslide close to the Torkham border due to a lightning strike during the storm," Abdul Nasir Khan, deputy commissioner of the Khyber district, told Reuters.

Officials said two bodies had been recovered and eight people were taken to hospital.

Some survivors had reported receiving phone calls from colleagues.

"They are not receiving calls any more ... maybe the mobile battery of those trapped inside is dead, or maybe there is another reason," Bilal Faizi, a spokesman for the Rescue 1122 emergency service, told AFP.

The pre-dawn landslide struck a key road that connects Pakistan with land-locked Afghanistan.

Police official Ishrat Khan said dozens of firefighters and rescuers were trying to save the lives of the lorry drivers and other people affected.

He said the injured are being taken to a nearby hospital. Volunteers have also joined the search for survivors. Authorities are dispatching heavy machinery to Torkham so that the mudslide can be removed, Mr Khan said.

Torkham border crossing is a trade route between Pakistan and Afghanistan where landslides often block roads, especially in the mountainous areas. Last summer, floods caused by monsoon rains killed 1,739 people in Pakistan.

Fires broke out following the landslide, the brunt of which struck about 120 metres from the main border crossing.

Drivers and their assistants were cooking pre-dawn meals on gas stoves ahead of a day of fasting during Ramadan.

"The fire is under control now. The rescue operation is ongoing with the help of excavators and other heavy machinery," Mr Faizi said.

The cause of the landslide was not immediately clear but one official, Ali Raza, said heavy machinery had been in use for months on an expansion project in the hills surrounding the border post.

Torrential overnight rain may also have contributed, Mr Raza said.

Authorities have closed the border crossing to vehicles but it remains open for pedestrians, he added.