Rain kills seven of a family in Wah

RAWALPINDI:

Seven members of a family, including four children, died when their house collapsed amid relentless rain in Wah on Monday evening.

Rescue 1122 officials said the two-storey building was located next to a drain, which overflew and eroded land from underneath the structure.

A total of 12 family members were buried under the rubble, most of them children, of which five were rescued alive.

The victims were identified as Shahnaz, 45; Bagh Sultan Bibi, 70; Saifullah, 3; Sabiha, 9; Sapna, 8; and 14-year-old Luqman. Another deceased could not be identified.

Rescue 1122, district administration and army teams took part in the rescue operation, which concluded on Tuesday morning.

Victims and the injured were taken to Rawalpindi District Headquarters Hospital, where bodies were handed over the family after their post-mortems. The injured were said to be out of danger.

ASI Muhammad Khan of Wah Saddar Police Station said, “Apart from the overflowing drain, rainwater from the street also entered the house which led to its collapse”. He added the rescue teams faced difficulties due to overflowing drain and sewerage lines.

The affected family hailed from Hangu district in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and had rented the house. The deceased were taken to Hangu for burial.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 4^th, 2015.