Fatalities soar amid relentless rain in K-P
A part of the main Alpuri-Besham road has been washed away by floodwater during the third spell of monsoon rains. PHOTO: NNI
Six more people died in rain-related incidents in two districts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, as heavy downpour continued to pummel the hilly areas of the province, rescue and weather officials said on Sunday.
According to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), the death toll had risen to 10 within the past 48 hours, accompanied by extensive damage to infrastructure in various districts.
The PDMA reported that four people lost their lives when a roof collapsed in Mansehra, while two others were buried under a landslide in Bahrain Tehsil, Swat district.
The Rescue 1122 team managed to rescue five individuals from beneath the debris of a landslide that had struck a house in the Madain area. However, two of the rescued victims succumbed to their injuries while receiving treatment at a hospital in Madain.
Initial reports had indicated a death toll of four on Saturday, but the recent fatalities brought the toll to 10 within the last 48 hours. The PDMA also disclosed that at least seven people were injured in these incidents.
The rains and floods caused substantial destruction, with seven houses completely destroyed and 67 others partially damaged across the province. Notably, Lower Chitral accounted for 39 partially damaged houses, while Upper Chitral recorded 19.
Responding to the crisis, a massive relief operation was underway in the Chitral region, focusing on relocating vulnerable individuals to safer places. The affected families were also being provided with dried ration supplies.
In response to the urgent situation, the provincial government released Rs60 million in aid to the rain-hit districts. This included Rs20 million each for Chitral Upper and Chitral Lower, and Rs10 million each for Bannu and Shangla districts.
To further support the rescue and relief operations, personnel from the Army and Frontier Corps (FC) North were mobilized in Chitral, Swat, and Dir districts due to the severity of the heavy rains.
The relentless downpours resulted in the destruction of several roads and bridges in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. Among the affected structures were the main bridge connecting Chitral to Boni, an under-construction bridge in Shamsi Khan area, and the Shringal-Kumrat road in Kalkot, Chitral.
In Shangla, the Alpuri-Bisham main highway, and roads to Spina Kada and Ranyal also suffered from flooding, while landslides impacted various areas, including the Karakorum Highway.
To mitigate the disruptions, authorities worked diligently to restore traffic through alternate routes. Both the armed forces and civil administration deployed heavy machinery to clear the affected roads and bridges, facilitating the movement of essential supplies and aid.
Despite these efforts, the Meteorological Department issued a forecast warning of more heavy rain, thunderstorms, and lightning across the country over the next 72 hours. They also cautioned about the likelihood of landslides and flash floods in nullahs in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Azad Kashmir.
The Federal Flood Commission (FFC) reported that rivers Indus, Chenab, Ravi, and Kabul were experiencing low flood conditions, with a rising trend observed at Kalabagh-Chashma, Chashma-Taunsa, Marala-Khanki, and Warsak-Nowshera. Additionally, the FFC warned of the possibility of moderate to heavy-intensity flash floods in the nullahs of Balochistan's Loralai, Kalat, Sibbi, Makran, and Nasirabad divisions, along with hill torrents in Dera Ghazi Khan division.