PESHAWAR/CHITRAL: Pakistani officials say a mudslide buried eight teenage students returning home after exams in the country’s north, which has seen heavy rains in recent days.

Pakistani rescuers found at least two bodies of hit by the avalanche in the mountainous northwest, while around nine more remain buried beneath the snow.

The disaster struck on Saturday afternoon near the village of Susom, some 40 km north of the town of Chitral in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, local police station chief Sultan Baig told AFP.

The spokesman for the local disaster management authority, Latifur Rehman, said on Sunday the incident occurred in Susam village, near the Afghan border, the previous day.

Rehman says the district administration is working with the army, police and paramilitary forces to recover the bodies of the eight students, who are presumed dead. Two bodies have been recovered so far.

More than a week of heavy rain has caused mudslides and the collapse of homes and other structures across northern Pakistan. The disaster management authority says at least 43 people have died in such incidents since March 9.

Worried parents and authorities began searching for the ninth graders when they did not return from school.

“The chances of finding any survivors are very low,” said local deputy mayor Mohammad Ali. “But you never know, people have been found alive buried under snow for nearly 20 hours.”

The Provincial Disaster Management Authority said Sunday evening the rescue operation was still continuing. Heavy rains have killed at least 86 people, injured 101 and damaged 240 houses since March 9 across Pakistan, according to the National Disaster Management Authority. It said landslides and collapsed roofs caused most of the fatalities.

Poorly-built homes, particularly in rural areas, are most prone to collapse.