Caught unprepared?: Seven dead in weather-related accidents

Heavy rain, snow continues to lash most of K-P with forecasts of more.

CHITRAL/ ABBOTABAD/ PESHAWAR/ UPPER DIR/ SHANGLA/ GHALLANAI: At least seven people died and five were injured after the spell of harsh weather continued in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

A woman and her nephews were killed in Sando Khel, Safi tehsil in Mohmand Agency when the roof they were under caved in due to a prolonged spell of heavy rain.

According to the political administration of Upper Mohmand, the accident occurred early Monday morning.  The roof of Abdul Malik’s mud house collapsed, causing the death of his wife and two nephews, Amjad Khan and Ayaz Khan. Locals and levies personnel helped retrieve two others who were injured and the bodies from under the debris.

The roof of a Frontier Constabulary check post on Frontier Road, Mattani collapsed late Monday. Four FC personnel were killed and three  were injured. Rescue workers helped remove the bodies and injured from under the debris.

Grey skies

According to the Pakistan Meteorological Department in K-P, rain and snow will continue for another 24-hour spell.

Over the last 24 hours, 31 millimetres (mm) of rain in Peshawar hampered routine life, causing traffic jams and flight delays.

The Met measured 74mm of rain in Cherat, 45mm in Risalpur, 30mm in Kohat, 36mm in Dir, 13.2mm in Abbottabad, 25mm in Saidu Sharif, 16.4mm in Balakot, 24mm in Kalam, and 25.2mm in Parachinar, Kurram Agency.

Malam Jabba and Kalam received 12 inches of snow. Locals reported higher-altitude parts of Galiyat and Kaghan received about 2 to 2.5 feet of snow while low-lying areas received one to two feet of snow.

Impacting infrastructure

Several houses were damaged in Chitral after the district received 5.3mm of rain. Link roads inside the valley and the route through Lowari Tunnel were blocked by snow. The district faces a shortage of food and other essentials.

Residents in Shangla complained of prolonged power cuts. Telephone and electricity lines were also destroyed. Landslides on Swat-Besham and Alpuri-Poran roads caused blockades.

In Hazara, rain caused flooding and damage to mud houses. Communication systems faced disruption as landslides and floods hit different areas.

Residents of Upper Dir complained load-shedding had increased from 12 hours to 16 hours.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 3^rd, 2015.