Four-Day Rescue Operation in Tirah Valley Completed, Main Road Reopened for Traffic

Khyber: Authorities have successfully completed a four-day rescue operation in Tirah Valley, restoring the main road for public traffic and easing movement in the area.

According to Rescue 1122 District Khyber spokesperson Maqsood Alam, local residents began migrating from Tirah Valley on January 10. However, heavy snowfall on January 22 left hundreds of displaced families stranded along the route, with women and children trapped in trucks. Following directives from senior authorities, a large-scale rescue operation was launched the same day.

The spokesperson said rescue teams from Khyber, Peshawar, Mardan, Swabi, and Nowshera participated in the operation. Efforts focused on clearing snow from the main road and rescuing affected individuals.

After four days of continuous work, the Bara–Tirah main road has now been fully reopened for traffic. During the operation, 2,400 displaced persons were rescued, including those traveling in 480 vehicles. More than 200 injured and ill individuals trapped in the snowfall were provided medical assistance.

Despite the completion of the rescue operation, Rescue 1122 has established base camps at three locations in Tirah Valley—Paindi Cheena, Doh Toi, and Mehrban Kallay—to ensure continued support in case of emergencies.

Maqsood Alam added that 170 personnel, 27 vehicles, 21 ambulances, four excavators, six tractors, and other heavy machinery were deployed during the operation, along with staff and equipment from the Communication and Works (C&W) Highways Department.

He further said that registration of affected residents from the Tirah Maidan area has resumed, with all four registration centers now operational. According to PDMA records, the registration of nearly 10,000 families who had migrated from the Maidan area was completed earlier. The total population of the Maidan region is approximately 130,000.