Taj Muhammad, a police sub-inspector at Special Branch Chilas, told Dawn.com that the roof of a house, belonging to a man identified as Faraz Khan, collapsed in the Bonar Das area of the city, burying the man’s family members, including his wife, four daughters and four sons under rubble.

He said local volunteers rushed to the scene soon after they heard the noise of the roof caving in and tried to retrieve the people. After a two-hour rescue effort, they managed to recover the bodies one by one — but dead.

The police official added that Faraz was not at home when the roof collapsed as he was at work.

He said the bereaved works as a waiter at a cafe in Chilas city.

The deceased people were identified as Khina Bibi, wife of Faraz; his sons Barkatullah, Sharafatullah Sadaqatullah and Shifayatullah; four daughters Lilan, Kiran, Nusrat and Nuzahat.

Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif has condoled the incident.