Tempest: Five injured as severe windstorm hits K-P

Province hit by second windstorm this week

PESHAWAR: At least five people were injured when heavy winds and a dust storm hit Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa on Saturday. According to Rescue 1122 and Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) officials, the inclement weather caused powers breakdowns and damage to property.

According to PDMA Spokesperson Latifur Rehman, the windstorm struck at 3.45pm and had a recorded speed of between 110km/hour in Peshawar and 125kilometres/hour in Nowshera. The windstorm also hit surrounding areas of Peshawar and Pabbi, Nowshera.

On the other hand, Mushtaq Ahmad Khan, director of the meteorological department, said the intensity of the storm was 66 km/hour in Peshawar. He added the major effect of the winds will be felt in the plain areas of the suburbs of Peshawar.

"Even if the intensity of the storm in Nowshera was more, it would be around 80 km/hour," he told The Express Tribune. “The Met department did not have devices to measure the storm in Nowshera.”

Casualties

A wall collapsed at Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) where a labourer was injured. Separately, a man was injured when a wall collapsed in Afghan Colony. He was shifted to the hospital.

The windstorm caused a wall of the Edhi Centre collapsed. There are reports of property damage which are being ascertained.

All injured were shifted to LRH. So far, there have been no immediate reports of damages from other districts.

"We cannot predict exactly what more nature has in store because of the odd weather patterns," the met department director said. He said the department had already issued a weather advisory early this year which predicted odd weather patterns in June.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 5^th, 2016.