Raining death: 15 die in flood-related incidents across K-P

Provincial govt demands more funds to assist affected population

SHABQADAR/ KARAK/ ABBOTTABAD/ CHITRAL/ GILGIT/ PESHAWAR/ BANNU/ SHANGLA:

At least 15 people died while eight were injured in various flood-related incidents in parts of the province on Sunday. Faced with the herculean task of assisting the affected population, the provincial government has urged the federal government to provide more funds, saying the existing allocation is insufficient to tackle the crisis.

An official privy to the development told The Express Tribune four more people have died in flash floods in Chitral.

“Two people drowned in heavy currents in Rech Dorkoh area of Chitral,” he said. “They have been identified as Dunya Muazzam Shah and Syed Turab Shah.”

According to the official, two people also drowned in a similar incident in Reshun. They have been identified as Badan Khan and Mehak.

“So far, we have only been able to find Badan’s body,” he said. “Locals are also assisting relevant authorities to find Mehak’s body. However, they lack proper facilities.”

In Pabbi, a minor lost his life in flash floods in Dak Ismail Khel. According to police, Sanan, a three-year-old girl, slipped and fell into a stream. Her body was recovered after nine hours.

Meanwhile, at least four people drowned when a car plunged into Khan Khwar River in Shangla. Police officials told The Express Tribune four people were travelling from Swat to Besham when the driver lost control of the vehicle.

The car skidded off the road and fell into the river. The spillway of the dam had been opened upstream to release excess floodwater from the reservoir. As a result, the occupants of the vehicle were swept away by a heavy current.

In another incident, a man was swept away when he was trying to collect timber from floodwater in Maira Dandai area of Shangla.

Two people were also swept away in various parts of Hazara as rain lashed the region for a third day.

In Gilgit-Baltistan, two men were swept by flash floods in Khanbari area of Chilas town.

Four drown in Shangla

A 17-year-old boy was swept away in Mullagori area of Jamrud, Khyber Agency, when he was trying to collect wood from a stream in the area.

Falling apart

Eight people were injured in separate roof collapse incidents. A man was critically wounded when the roof of his house collapsed due to heavy rain within the jurisdiction of Badhaber police station. In a separate incident in Nari Abbas area of Huwaid in Bannu, seven members of a family were injured in a similar incident.

Devastation

Flash floods have resulted in widespread damage across the province. In Chitral, over 700 families have been rendered homeless in Reshun. At least 250 houses have been swept away.

Sher Ali, a social activist in the region, told The Express Tribune, the recent spate of flooding between Saturday night and Sunday has caused more damage to infrastructure.

A power station in the region was also damaged by floods, suspending power supply in Chitral.

In Karak, several mud houses were damaged and livestock was affected on Sunday. Residents have urged the government to arrange equipment to pump out water from their houses. Crops were also affected by the natural disaster.

Relief work

Minister for Information Mushtaq Ghani has demanded more funds from the federal government, saying the current allocation is insufficient to meet people’s needs. Speaking at a news conference in Peshawar, he said K-P suffered losses worth billions and needed more funds to carry out relief work. He also demanded the provision of helicopters as the only helicopter at the disposal of provincial government was out of order.

As the destruction continued in G-B, Chief Minister Hafeezur Rahman and Governor Barjees Tahir visited the affected areas.

Officials of the political administration of Mohmand Agency also visited Moto Shah Dam and adjoining areas to survey the level of damage.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 27^th, 2015.