492 Pakistanis return from Afghanistan via Torkham border

LANDI KOTAL: As many as 492 stranded Pakistanis including, 111 children and 92 women returned from Afghanistan via the Torkham border.

According to government officials, among the 492 registered people, 470 were sent to the quarantine centres in Landi Kotal, 22 to Shah Kas centre in Jamrud and one patient with some visible symptoms of COVID-19 was shifted to DHQ hospital in Landi Kotal.

The officials further said so far over 1,200 registered citizens stranded in Afghanistan after the closure of the borders on 16 March had returned to Pakistan through Torkham border.

According to a statement issued by deputy commissioner, a total of 1,318 citizens, including those coming from Afghanistan, had been kept in different quarantine centres in the Khyber district. It said 43 returnees had so far tested positive for the coronavirus.

Pakistan reported 209 deaths from the novel COVID-19 while the total number of cases has surged to 9,749 on Wednesday.

According to National Command and Control Center, more than 533 cases of COVID-19 were reported while 17 people succumbed to the disease in the last 24 hours.

As many as 2,156 patients have recovered from the disease; however, the country is still witnessing a consistent rise in the coronavirus cases.