200 stranded tourists rescued in Kumrat
Tourists stranded at Kumrat Valley in Dir Upper district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa after recent rains and floods have been successfully rescued.
The rescue operation was carried out with the cooperation of the Culture and Tourism Authority's Tourism Police, rescue teams, and the local administration.
All tourists stranded in Dujanga, Kala Chashma and the waterfall areas of Kumrat Valley were rescued by the tourism police and safely gathered at the Grand Palace Hotel.
These tourists will be transported to their respective destinations via the Batgai Top route through Kalam after the completion of rescue operation.
Following the instructions of DG Tourism Authority Tashfeen Haider, the tourism police is providing all kinds of assistance to the tourists. Today, approximately 200 tourists were safely evacuated from Kumrat Valley.
A landslide triggered by continuous heavy rains in Upper Dir's Kumrat Valley claimed the lives of all 12 members of a single family.
The incident occurred late at night on Thursday when the landslide struck a house in the Patarak.
According to the police, the deceased includes nine children, two women, and one man.
The ongoing rain and darkness severely hampered the rescue operations.
Local residents, along with personnel from Rescue 1122 Upper Dir, police, Dir Levies, and Civil Defence, participated in the rescue efforts.
Despite the challenging conditions, all the bodies were eventually recovered from the rubble.
Police confirmed that after significant difficulties, the rescue teams were able to retrieve the bodies of those who had been trapped and killed in the landslide.
The entire community is mourning the loss of these lives, as the region continues to grapple with the impact of the relentless monsoon rains.
Heavy rains have battered India and Pakistan's coastal areas along the Arabian Sea, flooding cities in western India's Gujarat state and forcing thousands of people from their homes, with authorities predicting a cyclonic storm to develop by Friday.
At least 28 people have died this week from rain-related incidents in the state, officials said.