Five die as van swept away in Sibi flash flood

NDMA issues alerts as rainy spell begins today

QUETTA/ISLAMABAD:

Five people, including women and children, died when flash flood triggered by heavy rains in the Sibi district of Balochistan swept away a pick-up van on Sunday, rescuers and local officials said.

They said that three inured, including the van driver, Farooq, were rescued while the authorities feared the death toll might rise as there were many passengers in the vehicle, which was swept away by rising water in Katmandahi Beiji stream.

The country is braced with monsoon rains, which had started in the parts of the country. The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) instructed all the relevant departments to remain alert in the wake of heavy rains starting from Monday (today).

According to the latest advisory issued by the Pakistan Meteorological Department, a series of torrential rains with winds and thundershowers would begin in the upper and central parts of the country from Monday and continued till Wednesday.

Due to this system of heavy rains, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Galyat, Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan might witness landslides, and there was also a risk of flooding in streams, rivers and low-lying areas, the NDMA advisory said.

The NDMA also directed all federal and provincial ministries concerned, their subordinate agencies, and all the provincial and district disaster management authorities to deal with any emergency situation. People in the low-lying areas had also been advised to remain alert.

“The authority issued the instructions for taking timely and precautionary measures to ensure that any possible loss of life and property was avoided,” it said. It also directed the law enforcement officials to keep the tourists to northern areas informed about road conditions.

The provincial and district disaster management authorities had been directed to liaise with the agencies concerned to ensure pre-availability of de-watering pumps for removing stagnant rainwater, emergency machinery and staff in low lying areas to prevent flooding.