Eight dead, one missing in rain-related incidents

At least eight people were killed and four others were injured in rain and snowfall related incident in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) on Saturday.

On the outskirts of Peshawar in Mattani a house suddenly caved in after a heavy downpour late last night. Rescue 1122 official told The Express Tribune that the roof of one room collapsed as it was in very bad shape already and the heavy rain finally brought it down after which a man Shah Faras and his wife were caught in the debris. They were rescued in heavily injured condition and shifted to the Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) where their condition is stated to be critical.

In a separate incident in Shangla, a house collapsed due to land sliding after rains in Tehsil Alpuri. Rescue 1122 teams managed to rescue four people alive after 24 hours of rescue operation. Four bodies were also recovered from the debris and one child was still missing till the filing of this report who is feared dead was search was still underway for to find him.

In Hassan Khel area of Peshawar district, a man, woman and two children lost their lives when hit by lightning. A team of doctors was sent to the area who confirmed the death of four people. It also left one man badly burnt who has been shifted to the hospital.

Meanwhile a Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) report says that one house was partially damaged while another was completely damaged in other incident. A team of PDMA visited Alpuri and met the local residents. The team also inspected the site of the land sliding and met the deputy commissioner. Relief operations are being carried out by the concerned district administration on the direction of Chief Minister K-P.

The report said that efforts are being made by the district administration to open the roads due to heavy snow fall. PDMA has already issued a red alert across the hilly districts of the province due to the fresh spell of snow, Director General PDMA Sharif Hussain said. He said close liaison with all district administrations and related agencies was being maintained and the PDMA is constantly monitoring the situation.

The PDMA had sent a letter to all the districts on January 20 instructing them about the forecast of heavy rains and snowfall and to take precautionary measures. DG, PDMA said. PDMA’s Emergency Operation Center is operational 24/7, he added. He also advised the tourists to take precautionary measures when visiting tourist destinations and hill stations across the province and in case of any emergency, contact the PDMA Helpline 1700.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 23^rd, 2022.