Flood devastation continues: 4 killed, 5 injured in Hazara division
Incoming water destroys 18 houses, five bridges in G-B
Boulder destroys a house in Tajwal village. PHOTO: EXPRESS
CHITRAL/GILGIT/ABBOTABAD:
At least four people have died while five were injured as rains and subsequent flash floods continued to wreak havoc in different parts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan on Tuesday and Wednesday.
In Tajwal village of Galiyat, 51-year-old Sukum Dad died when the roof of his house caved in due to heavy rain on Wednesday morning. Separately, a minor was injured when a heavy stone fell on a house in Mohallah Kung Jadeed of Abbottabad. Javed, the owner of the house, said he and his family members were watching television when a heavy stone from the hill nearby fell on his house. His four-year-old son Naveed was injured in the incident. He was rushed to Benazir Shaheed Hospital where his condition is said to be stable. The kitchen and a bedroom of the house were destroyed.
Incoming boulders
After heavy downpour on Tuesday, six villagers were gathered on the side of a hill in Lower Kohistan to collect wood when a mound of mud fell on them. Dobair police said rescue work was quickly carried out by locals who managed to extract three persons unharmed while three others, including a woman, were killed and their bodies were taken out of the debris later in the evening. The deceased were identified as Akbar Jan, Hasn Basri Shah and Noor Alam.
Up north
Four people were injured, including three policemen, and at least 18 houses and five bridges were destroyed in flash floods in Gilgit-Baltistan on Wednesday. Two bridges and eight houses were gutted in Kharmang, Baltistan while 10 houses and another two bridges were destroyed by flash floods in Ghizer. The rains have resulted in the rise of water level in Ghizer River, threatening inundation of settlements in low lying areas. A bridge leading to Faizabad was also swept away, leaving hundreds stranded.
Two hotels and three shops in Sadpara were also damaged. “The incoming water uprooted several trees,” said a local, adding the administration has warned people living near Hargaz Nullah to shift to safer spots. There are also reports of flood damages in Khaplu. The main highway was reportedly blocked by landslides thereby causing a shortage of fuel. Three houses in Baksh village were also reportedly wrecked.
“Seven houses were hit by landslides in Ishkoman Valley,” said Shifa Khan, a local, adding the water channel leading to the hydel power project also got damaged, disrupting power supply.
The Karakoram Highway was also blocked by landslides at Jaglote and Minawar in Gilgit. The debris was subsequently removed and traffic was restored. In Hisper area of Nagar Valley, three vehicles were buried under the debris of landslide. Meanwhile, the scenic Naltar Valley also remained disconnected on the 13th consecutive day, giving rise to a food shortage.
Meanwhile the situation has not improved in Chitral either. At least 11 houses and a large number of cattle were washed away when heavy floods hit Gasht, Laspur Valley on Tuesday night. Jamaat-e-Islami chief Sirajul Haq visited Chitral and met several affected families in Ayun.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 6th, 2015.
At least four people have died while five were injured as rains and subsequent flash floods continued to wreak havoc in different parts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan on Tuesday and Wednesday.
In Tajwal village of Galiyat, 51-year-old Sukum Dad died when the roof of his house caved in due to heavy rain on Wednesday morning. Separately, a minor was injured when a heavy stone fell on a house in Mohallah Kung Jadeed of Abbottabad. Javed, the owner of the house, said he and his family members were watching television when a heavy stone from the hill nearby fell on his house. His four-year-old son Naveed was injured in the incident. He was rushed to Benazir Shaheed Hospital where his condition is said to be stable. The kitchen and a bedroom of the house were destroyed.
Incoming boulders
After heavy downpour on Tuesday, six villagers were gathered on the side of a hill in Lower Kohistan to collect wood when a mound of mud fell on them. Dobair police said rescue work was quickly carried out by locals who managed to extract three persons unharmed while three others, including a woman, were killed and their bodies were taken out of the debris later in the evening. The deceased were identified as Akbar Jan, Hasn Basri Shah and Noor Alam.
Up north
Four people were injured, including three policemen, and at least 18 houses and five bridges were destroyed in flash floods in Gilgit-Baltistan on Wednesday. Two bridges and eight houses were gutted in Kharmang, Baltistan while 10 houses and another two bridges were destroyed by flash floods in Ghizer. The rains have resulted in the rise of water level in Ghizer River, threatening inundation of settlements in low lying areas. A bridge leading to Faizabad was also swept away, leaving hundreds stranded.
Two hotels and three shops in Sadpara were also damaged. “The incoming water uprooted several trees,” said a local, adding the administration has warned people living near Hargaz Nullah to shift to safer spots. There are also reports of flood damages in Khaplu. The main highway was reportedly blocked by landslides thereby causing a shortage of fuel. Three houses in Baksh village were also reportedly wrecked.
“Seven houses were hit by landslides in Ishkoman Valley,” said Shifa Khan, a local, adding the water channel leading to the hydel power project also got damaged, disrupting power supply.
The Karakoram Highway was also blocked by landslides at Jaglote and Minawar in Gilgit. The debris was subsequently removed and traffic was restored. In Hisper area of Nagar Valley, three vehicles were buried under the debris of landslide. Meanwhile, the scenic Naltar Valley also remained disconnected on the 13th consecutive day, giving rise to a food shortage.
Meanwhile the situation has not improved in Chitral either. At least 11 houses and a large number of cattle were washed away when heavy floods hit Gasht, Laspur Valley on Tuesday night. Jamaat-e-Islami chief Sirajul Haq visited Chitral and met several affected families in Ayun.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 6th, 2015.