Cold snap: Seven die as rains wreak havoc in Balochistan, K-P

Lowari pass closed after heavy snowfall

QUETTA/ PESHAWAR: Thunderstorms and rain battered a wide swath of territory in Balochistan, triggering mudslides in the Sherani and Mastung districts and leaving at least seven people dead.

As many as six people were killed and three others sustained injuries when a car fell into a ravine due to a rain-triggered landslide.

According to Deputy Commissioner Sherani Hayat Kakar, the driver lost control of the vehicle and the car fell into a ravine.

Separately, a woman was reportedly killed in Mastung district when her mud house collapsed owing to the continuous rainfall in the province.

Around 20 mud houses collapsed and 50 others were reported to be damaged across the province.



According to details, the rain-fed rivers were flooded across the province, inundating many low lying areas.

Load-shedding of gas and electricity added to the miseries of the locals. A surge in the rates of coal and firewood has also been reported in the rain-swept townships.

Snowfall was reported on the peak of mountains in Kalat, Kan Mehterzai, Koh-e-Sulemain and Koh-e-Murdar.

Heavy snowfall and rain was reported in areas across Khyber-Pakhtunkwa and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata).

Lowari Top was closed for all sorts of traffic after heavy snowfall on Wednesday. According to the district administration, Lowari Top has received more than five feet of snow during the past four days.

Balochistan Chief Minister Nawab Sanaullah Khan Zehri has directed the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), District Administration and other concerned departments to ensure the smooth supply of relief materials to the affected areas.

The chief minister also praised PDMA’s performance and directed it to resist any pressure in the distribution of relief goods so that deserving people get the maximum benefit from the relief operations.

Chairing a high profile meeting here on Wednesday, Zehri said that the relief activities should continue in the province without any hindrance.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 26^th, 2017.