Six killed, over a dozen injured in rain-related incidents across K-P

Brother and sister killed when their car is buried by landslide

PESHAWAR: At least six people have died and around 18 were injured owing to torrential rains that lashed various parts of the province, a report from the disaster relief and rescue officials said on Friday.

In a report released by the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) deaths and injuries were reported in various incidents of land sliding and collapsing of houses during rains. As many as 27 cattle heads and houses were also damaged during the rains.

A man was killed in Buner when a wall of his house collapsed on top of him. A child each was killed in Shangla when rocks falling from a mountain struck her. Around 17 people were injured in Kurram when roof and walls of around seven houses collapsed.

As many as 17cattle heads perished in Torghar.

Meanwhile, the PDMA has set up a control room for quick assistance to people during an emergency in the monsoon season.

The public has been asked to contact PDMA's control room at: 091-9213595, 9213845 and 9223662 for help and assistance during emergency situations such as floods.

People can also contact their respective district administration offices for assistance.

The public has been urged not to throw plastic bags and bottles in rainy watercourses and to keep them clean.

Meanwhile, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Senior Minister Atif Khan and Information Minister Shaukat Yousafzai stated that Shahrah-e-Naran has reopened after being cleared. However, owing to a rush of vehicles on both sides of the blockage, there is a heavy flow of traffic.

Heavy rain brings further death, misery to city

Four killed in Naran land sliding

At least four people were killed when a landslide near Jhalkand and Burwai in the Naran Valley buried tourist vans.

Owing to monsoon rains in the Naran and Kaghan valleys, there have been landslides on multiple points along the Shahrah-e-Kaghan rendering it impassable for around 24 hours.

On Thursday afternoon, the highway which connects to Babusar Top and Kaghan was closed after heavy land sliding at multiple points between Jhalkand and Burwai.

According to National Highway Authority (NHA) Spokesperson Mukesh Kumar, around 2,000 vehicles were stuck in the area owing to the heavy land sliding. Of this, roads were cleared to allow a thousand vehicles to leave the area.

However, two siblings Mrs Saqlain and Abid Jawad from Layyah were killed when their vehicle was buried under debris from land sliding. However, their brother Baqar survived with injuries.

The survivor said that they were travelling in a convoy of three cars. Two cars which were ahead of them managed to evade the falling rocks but they got caught in the land sliding.

He added that they tried to open the door of the vehicle to escape but the locks did not budge. As a result, his brother and sister got trapped in the car and perished.

Separately, Muhammad Shafique told authorities that his two sons were out grazing their livestock and had apparently been caught in the land sliding.

Their bodies were recovered from the rubble and handed over to their families for performing their final rites.

WITH ADDITIONAL INPUT FROM ZULFIQAR ALI IN BALAKOT

Published in The Express Tribune, July 27^th, 2019.