Heavy rains claim four lives in K-P

Death toll includes three soldiers and a victim in a Nowshera roof collapse

PESHAWAR:

Three soldiers were killed in rain-related incidents in North Waziristan tribal district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P). Two others were injured. One man died and one was injured when a roof collapsed in Nowshera district of K-P. Officials told The Express Tribune that during heavy downpour near Afghan border two soldiers died when hit by lightning in Barmand. They have been identified as Omar Hayat and Omar Nasir. In a separate incident in Tehsil Datta Khel, a soldier identified as Osman died when the roof of his room collapsed suddenly.

Two soldiers were injured in the mishap. All the streams in the hill tracts were in high flood after the downpour. “The largest river of North Waziristan Tochi is also in high flood,” said an official, adding that Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) had already issued flood warnings two days ago in which district administration had been warned that heavy downpour was expected in Malakand and Southern districts of K-P. “Thunderbolts struck many places and to add to it a mildintensity earthquake jolted the entire area causing widespread panic across the district,” said the official.

On the other hand, a heavy downpour has killed cattle in Mohmand tribal district of K-P last night. “We have received reports that around 120 goats, sheep and cows have either been killed or swept away by flash floods in the district,” said an official of district administration while talking to The Express Tribune. He said that one shepherd lost 35 goats, adding that the downpour and subsequent floods destroyed crops on thousands of acres of land too.

In Shergarh area of Mardan, rainwater entered the low-lying areas including a local gur mandi where jaggery worth millions of rupees was completely destroyed. “Gur is mainly stored in the basements and underground stores in the main market by dealers and traders and last night water entered these basements,” said a local trader. He said that Rescue 1122 teams were called for help who were busy in pumping the rainwater out from the low-lying areas but the damage was already done.