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32 dead as downpour plays havoc in parts of country
RAWALPINDI: Stormy rains wreaked havoc in Punjab, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Fata and Azad Kashmir as 32 persons, including nine children and three women, were killed in different parts of the country on Wednesday.
In Nowshera, seven persons were killed as rains and floods swept away three persons, including a teenager, and damaged hundreds of houses and other infrastructure. Reports suggested that the floods washed away houses and shops in Pirpiai, Azakhel Bala, Azakhel Payan and Khat Killay.
The floodwater inundated houses and washed away household items and cattle heads. Standing crops over thousands of acre of land were also inundated.
The locals said the heavy rain started at 5:00am and continued till 10:00am. It triggered floods in Azakhel Bala, Azakhel Payan, Khat Killay, Spinkhak, Kheshgi and other villages.
The floodwaters swept away three persons, including 30-year old Mazhar Shah, Noorul Ameen aged 20 and a 15-year old Afghan boy Abdul Khaliq. Their bodies were retrieved after hectic efforts. Dozens of people were reported injured in incidents of collapse of walls.
The district administration declared a state of emergency in Nowshera and launched rescue activities. The flood damaged many houses and knocked down the boundary walls of scores of homes. The people were seen pumping out floodwater from their houses. Most of the damage was caused in Azakhel Payan where dozens of houses and shops were affected.
District Coordination Officer Nowshera Mohammad Ayaz Khan Mandokhel, Chairman Standing Committee of the National Assembly on petroleum and natural resources Tariq Khattak, Chairman Disaster Management Nowshera Sharafat Gul arrived on the spot and oversaw the rescue activities. The raging floodwaters also washed away the high transmission power pylons in Pirpiai.
In Mansehra, two persons were killed in rain-related incidents. It was learnt that one Badri Zaman was on his way to Balakot from the Hassah area alongside the Kunhar River when a raging wave swept him away. The local people fished out his body after hectic efforts.
One Hameem Bibi was hit by a rolling boulder when she was grazing cattle in the mountainous Jarad area of Balakot.
In Bajaur Agency, Two persons were killed while roads were badly affected as torrential rain caused flash floods in Barang and others areas.
An official of the local administration said the flood swept away Habibullah who was swimming in the river at Selai Patay in Barang tehsil in Bajaur. A 42-year old woman drowned in floodwater in the Laghari area in Mamond tehsil.
The locals said the floods and rain destroyed several link roads in Barang tehsil and other areas of Bajaur.
Four persons were killed in Balakot, three in Swat, five in Kotli, five in Bagh, and two children fell victim to rain and flood related incidents in Muzaffarabad.
Heavy rains also caused massive damage in and around Abbottabad where a seven-year-old child also drowned. Rain water burst into houses and the Silk Route turned into a lake.
There is a flood in River Swat as the upper areas were lashed by rains. Information Minister KP Mian Iftikhar visited the affected areas and issued orders to relocate the people facing a threat from flood elsewhere. He said that food and tents were being provided to the affected people.
Meanwhile, in Punjab flash flood swept away Sae Hussain in Chiniot and many houses near the river in Jogira were washed away.
Many villages were also submerged due to flood in Nullah Dec and a Sialkot-Narowal Road had also been closed for traffic. Rain water flooded many low-lying areas in Rawalpindi and adjoining areas. The administration had put Nullah Leh Flood Control Room on high alert.
Low-lying areas in Mirpur, Azad Kashmir and adjacent areas have also been flooded by rain water and two people were killed when a wall collapsed.
The MET office issued a flash flood warning for Kohat and Mardan and predicted more rains in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa during the next 24 hours.
The Flood Warning Division has issued warning for Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab provinces.
It advised the people residing near rivers Kabul, Kurrum and Swat to be vigilant. The MET office warned of low-level flood in river Ravi near Shahdara as it may turn into a high-level flood during the next 24 hours.
Heavy rains are also predicted in Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Lahore, Sargodha and Faisalabad during the next 24 hours.
Courtesy www.geo.tv