Flash floods: Fifteen bodies recovered from Chitral village

Afghanistan charges Rs20,000 for the return of corpses

CHITRAL: Bodies of 15 people were recovered while rescue workers continued to search for 26 others who had gone missing when flash floods induced by monsoon rains hit a remote village in Lower Chitral over the weekend.

According to district administration and Chitral Scouts, 15 bodies were recovered from the debris and the river near Paitasun Gol village in Ursoon, near the border with Afghanistan.

The rains had left at least 29 people dead in the village while 26 were missing. They included eight soldiers who were killed when flash floods struck their check post.

Afghan authorities also recovered some bodies which had been swept away by the flash floods down the river and into Afghanistan. These bodies were handed over to the Pakistan Army at the Arindo border crossing, charging Rs15,000-Rs20,000 for the return of each body.

Meanwhile, provincial minister Mahmood Khan and General Officer Commanding Swat Division Major General Asif Ghafoor visited the area and assured flood survivors of rehabilitation. Khan distributed compensation cheques amongst flood victims.

Speaking to the media at the Chitral Scouts headquarters, Maj Gen Ghafoor said the only way to address challenges posed by climate change and stop the loss of human lives during natural calamities was to take preventive measures on an emergency basis.

He added that Pakistan contributes less than one per cent to climate change but is at the top of the list of countries who are affected by it, suffering thousands of casualties and losses worth billions from natural disasters.

He also distributed food rations and relief goods among flood victims in Ursoon. He was accompanied by Commandant Chitral Scouts Col Nizamudin Shah, District Nazim Chitral Maghfirat Shah and DC Chitral Osama Warriach.

Warriach told journalists that the Punjab government has dispatched nine truckloads of relief goods for flood victims under the supervision of a minister.

He added that a 5,000 meter pipe has also been dispatched to the area for restoring supply of water. He added that all flood victims are being provided rations while tents have been provided to those who lost their homes.

According to the PDMA, the heavy rains and floods had destroyed at least 19 houses and partially damaged 47 others. In one of the worst incidents, a mosque with at least 15 people inside was swept away.

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