Never prepared: Seasonal downpour across K-P, FATA leaves eight dead and 40 injured

Thunder, hail storms expected to prevail over the next 24 hours.

HARIPUR/ GILGIT/ MINGORA/ PESHAWAR/ BANNU/ JAMRUD:

At least 10 people died while 38 others were injured as heavy rain and hail lashed various parts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, the Federally Administered Tribal Areas and Gilgit-Baltistan on Wednesday. A control room has been constituted at the Peshawar district administration office to monitor rain-related incidents.

Tragedy on repeat

Three women died while two others were injured when the roof of a mud house collapsed in Mattani in the provincial capital Wednesday afternoon.

Arbaba Bibi and her daughters Shabana and Razia lost their lives while two women identified as Shazia and Sajida were critically wounded. The injured were eventually rescued by locals and rushed to the hospital.

Heavy rains and snow in Swat Valley caused the death of two people, injuring five others. According to initial reports, seven members of a family were critically injured when their roof collapsed in the downpour at Malam Jabba. Two women succumbed to their injuries while the rest were said to be out of danger.

In Chitral, a man died after he was hit by a boulder. According to police officials, Abdul Salim was rushed to the hospital where he succumbed to injuries. Meanwhile, three people were injured in various road accidents in Shangla district.

FATA

A resident of Mullagori, Khyber Agency died while his three grandchildren were injured when the roof of their room caved in. An official of Jamrud political administration said Gulzada was found dead under the debris while his three grandchildren were rescued by locals and rushed to a nearby hospital.

In Mohmand Agency, two girls died after the roof of their house collapsed at 1am Wednesday morning. According to their relatives, 12-year-old Laiba and her younger sister Tanzeela were sleeping in the house along with three of their siblings when the roof caved in. The other three managed to escape unhurt.

A man and his horse go through the pouring rain on Kutcheri Road. PHOTO: MUHAMMAD IQBAL/EXPRESS

Meanwhile, two passenger coaches collided in Gandab, Mohmand Agency. A woman was killed while 25 other were critically wounded in the accident. Insiders familiar with the matter told The Express Tribune the incident was caused by a layer of sludge which had collected on the road due to the inclement weather.

Raindrops keep falling

Thunder and hail are expected to lash various parts of the province over the next 24 hours, officials of the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) told The Express Tribune.

According to one PMD official, many areas of central K-P — Kohat, Peshawar, Mardan, Charsadda, Swabi and the upper areas of Malakand and Hazara division—will receive heavy rainfall.

Peshawar Deputy Commissioner Riaz Mehsud has constituted a control room at district administration office. Flood warnings have been issued to people living near River Kabul as more rain is expected.

“The Peshawar Electricity Supply Corporation has issued letters to Peshawar, Nowshera and Charsadda districts to be prepared for any eventualities,” PRO Feroz Shah said.

People have been asked to contact the control room on 091-9211338 in case of an emergency.

Heavy showers and snowfall in the upper parts of G-B dragged down temperatures in the region. The mountains in Gilgit were blanketed with a thick layer of snow.

Unprepared 

Heavy rain in the province has resulted in the loss of property and damage to infrastructure.

In Bannu, River Kurram overflowed its banks and washed away Asad Durrani Bridge. Various parts of Haripur district remained without electricity for over 10 hours. A large number of houses in Abbottabad, Mansehra, Battagram and Torghar were partially damaged.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 26^th, 2015.