Three sisters, two tourists drown

Six bodies retrieved from storm drains in Isakhel, waterfall in Soan valley

KHUSHAB/ MIANWALI:

Monsoon rains and storm wreaked havoc in Isakhel area of Mianwali district, leaving four people dead and two others injured, while two tourists drowned at Kunhati Bagh in Soan valley on Saturday.

According to officials in Isakhel, three sisters were swept away by the Darsula storm drain. Their bodies were recovered from the drain near Matha Mor.

Rescue 1122 ambulances and private vehicles shifted the bodies to a hospital, where the deceased were identified as 23-year-old Ansa Bilal, 15-year-old Sana Abdul Aziz and 17-year-old Rukhsana Abdul Aziz, residents of Awan Wala.

Meanwhile the body of a man was found in a rainwater stream near Nasri Road. The body was handed over to the relatives of the 45-year-old victim, Saifullah Sultan.

In another incident, the roof of a house weakened by rain collapsed near Malakhil Vanjari Road, due to which a woman and a girl were injured.

Deputy Commissioner Omar Javed visited flood-affected areas of Isakhel tehsil, including the home of the three sisters who were drowned.

While offering condolences to the family along with other local administration officials, he said the sisters of Awan Wala village had set an example of loyalty as they had died while trying to save each other. The DC said the administration would ensure all kinds of support to the family from the Punjab government.

He also said viable measures would be taken in future to save the citizens from the adverse effects of rains. It will be ensured that the lives and property of the residents of the settlements located along the storm drains are be protected, the officials added.

Two women had died after falling into flood drains in the same area three days ago. At least six people, including five women, have lost their lives to ongoing thunderstorms and heavy rains in the Isakhel area.

Meanwhile, two of eight people caught in flash floods at Kunhati Bagh, a tourist spot in Soan valley, drowned, while six others were rescued. Local officials said families from Talagang tehsil and Nowshera valley of Chiniot district went to visit Kunhati Bagh and bathe in the waterfalls but it started raining. They did not leave the spot because there was not much rain where they were bathing.

However, the hill behind the waterfalls received heavy downpour, which caused a deluge that swept away eight of the tourists.

Other tourists present at the spot immediately called for help. Six people were pulled out from the stream, while two others drowned.

Nowshera Police Station SHO Malik Sher Mohammad joined the rescue operation.

The rescue teams shifted the bodies to the Nowshera Tehsil Headquarters Hospital for legal formalities, after which they were handed over to the families.

A local resident said while speaking to The Express Tribune that the district ad tehsil administration had been informed several times about the need for fences around the waterfalls because of the danger posed by them to the visitors.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 24^th, 2022.