Two landslides kill 11 in Hazara division

Seven family members amongst dead

PESHAWAR:

At least 11 people were killed in two separate landslides in the Hazara division on Wednesday.

The Torghar district administration officials confirmed to The Express Tribune that at least seven members of a family were killed and two children were injured after a house was struck by a mudslide in the district.

They said that the incident took place in Judba tehsil of the district where a large mass of earth enveloped the house. The injured children, who were trapped in the debris, have been rescued, officials added.

In a separate incident, at least four people, including women and children, were killed and several others were injured after a landslide triggered, by heavy rains, struck a house in the Mansehra district.

Local authorities said that the roof of a house caved in after it was hit by a landslide in the Hussain Banda area of Ogi tehsil.

Police and eyewitnesses said the landslide was caused by the recent heavy rains.

Rescue teams reached the spot and started an operation to recover people trapped under the rubble.

Earlier, as many as two children were killed and six others received injuries in rain-related incidents on Tuesday in the Shangla district of the province.

Meanwhile, the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), in a report issued on Wednesday, said at least five people lost their lives and 20 others suffered injuries over the past 24 hours as rains, floods and landslides continued to wreak havoc in the province.

The report stated that at least 21 people have been killed and 31 injured since the current spell of rains began in the province.

As many as 11 houses have been destroyed completely while 92 houses damaged partially, it added.

The current rain spell, which continued on Wednesday in upper parts of the province, has caused severe flooding in streams, nullahs and rivers in Upper Dir, Swat, Chitral, Shangla, Torghar and other parts of the province.

The water level in Panjgura River, Swat and Khyali River has reached a dangerous level, it added.

The River Swat continued to flow in high flood at Chakdara where the water discharge was recorded at 55,085 cusecs, in Munda area at 95,300 cusecs, and Khawazakhela at 33,000 cusecs. The River Punjgura was flowing at 24,263 cusecs, the report stated.

The PDMA has also issued flood warnings for Nowshera and Charsadda districts and locals have been advised to maintain their position at higher ground.

The PDMA further stated that efforts underway to reopen block roads due to land sliding. The authority is in contact with all district administrations and its emergency operation centres were working round the clock, it said.

Khanpur Dam full

The water level in the Khanpur Dam rose to its maximum capacity on Wednesday.

Khanpur Dam officials said that they have opened the spillways of the dam after the level in the dam rose to 1,981 feet. They added that the dam’s capacity is 1,982 feet. At least 6,600 cusecs of water will be released from the dam.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 3^rd, 2020.