Death toll from rain, floods rises to 75

Body of a man who drowned in a dam was recovered after 48 hours

QUETTA:

Rescue workers on Monday retrieved the dead body of a person who had drowned in a dam after 48 hours in Pishin district.

The death toll in the floods and rain-related incidents in Balochistan rose to 75 after the recovery of the dead body, the director general of the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) told The Express Tribune.

"75 people died during the last 10 days," Nasar said.

Most of the deaths were reported from Quetta, Bolan, Pishin, Zhob, Loralai and other parts of the province.

The victim was identified as Mirza Khan who had drowned in the dam fully inundated with rainwater two days ago.

"Quick Response Force (QRF) of Levies retrieved the body from the dam," Muhammad Ali Durrani, the assistant commissioner of Karezat Pishin told The Express Tribune.

Rescue workers and technical staff from the PDMA spent two days to fish out the corpse.

Scores of people from the area had gathered at the dam to witness the rescue operation.

"We have handed over the dead body of the victim to the heirs," Durrani said.

More rains pummel Balochistan

More torrential rains in different parts of Balochistan triggered fresh flash floods in several areas, sweeping away bridges and delay-and-check dams in the affected areas, a provincial government spokesperson said on Monday.

During the current wet spell of monsoon season, heavy rains have been pummelling the province since the first week of this month. Several dozen people had died in rain-related incidents, including roof and house collapses.

Farah Azeem Shah, the Balochistan government spokesperson, said that Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Quddus Bizenjo has ordered an inquiry into the breach of dams after the torrential rains.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 19^th, 2022.