Death toll soars to 134 in Khyber-Pakhtunkwa

At least 134 were killed and thousands remained stranded as unprecedented flooding triggered by torrential rain.

PESHAWAR/QUETTA: At least 134 people were killed and thousands remained stranded as unprecedented flooding triggered by torrential rains continued to sweep several districts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, prompting a provincial minister to label it as  “the worst flooding in nearly a century.”

Addressing a press conference, Mian Iftikhar Hussain said that about 233mm of rain had been recorded over the last 36 hours, causing the flow of 250,000 cusecs of water. The last time the province experienced such high-scale flooding was in 1929, when the flow rate touched 70,000 cusecs, according to the minister. Seventeen members of the same family died when a wall collapsed on them in Shali Bala. About 60 mud houses and tents were destroyed in an Afghan camp in Matani, killing two women and three children.

Up to 102 people were stranded in Bakhtela, prompting a search operation by military helicopters in the region.  However, none of the stranded had been found till our going to the press.

Some 26 people were killed in Shangla, Malakand division, in landslides triggered by heavy downpours and floods, officials said. Four women and three children were trapped  under the debris. Some 20 houses and a primary school were also destroyed in Mohmand Agency.

Rail services remained suspended in Peshawar and the motorway as well as the G7 road in the provincial capital were closed off. Power and communication links remained unrestored all over the province.

The military, according to officials, has dispatched helicopters as well as boats in an effort to rescue scores of stranded people. Three major hospitals in Peshawar have been put on high alert.

Chief Minister Ameer Haider Khan Hoti said that 50 boats have been dispatched from Karachi to join relief and rescue operations. Meanwhile, authorities in the federal capital have sounded a red alert over the rising flow of water at the River Soan.

Balochistan

At least five people, including three children, were killed and dozens more suffered injuries in rain-related incidents in Kachhi, Jaffarabad, Kohlu and Sibi districts of Balochistan as torrential rains continued to lash the whole region, inundating more villages.

According to reports, seven-year-old Naimatullah drowned in Shahi Wah when a canal breached from two places, submerging around 10 villages. Another child was killed in Bala Nari tehsil of Kachhi district when the wall of a mud house collapsed following a spell of rain. The Jalal Khan Dam burst its bank, submerging ten villages in Kachhi district.

Roads links connecting Haji Shaher, Mitari and Ghazi Shaher have been washed away by the flash floods. Four power lines were washed away in Dhaddar plunging the entire region into darkness.

Sources said two people died from snake-bites near Bhag Tehsil in Sibi district.

Around 50 mud houses have been washed away and standing crops were destroyed in Zhob district.  Provincial lawmaker Jaffar Khan Mandokhel demanded that the district be declared a calamity-hit area.

Talking to the media, Kohlu’s deputy commissioner, Nasurullah Rind, said that a 14-year-old girl had died and three others were injured in rain-related incidents in KohluHe confirmed that a four-year-old girl was killed when a mudhouse caved in.

The director general of Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), Hassan Baloch, said relief operations were being carried out in the affected areas and 20 loaded trucks carrying relief goods had been dispatched to Jaffarabad and Kachhi.

He said that the government could not estimate the losses because the fresh flash floods also disrupted the relief works. The UNHCR and World Food Organization (WFO) are also providing relief goods, he added.

Gilgit

At least one person was killed and 1,500 people were rendered homeless as torrential rains hit Gilgit on Thursday, officials said. Water entered the Gilgit-Baltistan legislative assembly building, press club, and several other premises situated in the low lying areas after River Gilgit overflowed its banks.

In Baseen – about 20 kilometres from Gilgit – the rising level of River Gilgit flooded nearly 30 houses. Home secretary Gilgit-Baltistan Asif Lodhi said that so far 50 per cent of the affected people have been provided tents and food while efforts were on the way for the rescue of others. He added that so far around 250 houses have been flooded.

Chief Minister Mehdi Shah visited the affected areas and issued directives to the administration to make arrangements for the affectees. Communication with the rest of the country was put to a halt as landslides blocked roads from Gilgit to Skardu, Ghizer, Astore and Islamabad, according to sources.

Officials said that efforts were to repair the damaged portion of the hydel powers were being made, adding that power will be restored by Friday.

Rajanpur

20 more villages have been inundated as flash floods hit Rajanpur again on Thursday, according to media reports, which added that trapped residents are not being rescued.

Reports stated that road links to the area have also been suspended and locals have said that the roads have been completely damaged due to the floods. A Civil Defence boat is taking part in rescue operations, but has so far proved to be insufficient in rescuing the hundreds of trapped people.

District administration said that the trapped people cannot be rescued due to lack of resources.

AJK

At least seven people have died and many are missing in landslides and other rain- related incidents. An emergency has been imposed in the upper areas of Azad Kashmir following high-level floods in River Neelum. People living around River Jhelum are being shifted to camps following fears of flood. Water level in the River Jhelum may go up to more than 200,000 cusecs in the next few hours.

Additional reporting by Shabbir Mir/ additional input from AGENCIES

Published in The Express Tribune, July 30^th, 2010.