K & P

Disaster strikes: At least four killed as rains continue

More than 10 injured; Met dept predicts more downpours.

Our Correspondents March 08, 2015

the ongoing downpour continued on Sunday in the provincial capital where 51 mm of rainfall was recorded. PHOTO: APP

HARIPUR/ PESHAWAR/ DI KHAN/ GHALLANAI: As predicted by the Meteorological department, rain and snowfall continued in K-P and Fata, bringing grief and sorrow to the homes of at least another four people who died in different mishaps on Sunday. Also, more than 10 others were injured across the region in structural collapses or other rain-related incidents.

A man was killed when a wall collapsed over him due to heavy rainfall in Suleman Khel village on the outskirts of Peshawar. “He was buried under the debris and died on the spot,” Ahmad Jan, a local told The Express Tribune.

Moreover, a man was killed while his wife suffered critical injuries when roof of their mud house fell on them in Baldhair village, around six kilometres from Haripur. Their four children narrowly escaped injury.

Police and locals said Muhammad Riaz and his wife Gul Bibi were asleep in their room, while their four minor children were in another part of the house when the roof collapsed. Riaz died on the spot while his wife was rushed to the hospital by locals. The area’s people were alerted when the children cried for help. Bibi’s condition at the Women and Children Hospital was stated as critical, doctors said.

In another incident, a man was killed in Manglawar area of Swat.

In Mohmand Agency, Akbar Shah mourned the loss of his mother who was crushed when the roof of their house collapsed in Safi tehsil. His two sons and a daughter also suffered severe injuries.

In Ismail Khel area of Kohat, a roof caved in and injured seven, including children. In yet another incident, seven animals were crushed to death in a roof collapse incident in Doda area of the same district.

Over in DI Khan, the main city and its outskirts were gripped by heavy rainfall, causing the disruption of routine activity. “Rainwater entered our house and we had to physically drain it out,” Altafullah, a resident of Dayal, told The Express Tribune. He blamed the poor drainage system of the city for his woes.

Kulachi and Paharpur areas were not only lashed by heavy rains, but also hailstorms which affected standing crops and damaged homes in residential areas.

K-P Chief Minister Pervez Khattak has ordered that emergency be declared in all government hospitals across the province as the Met department predicted more rainfall in K-P and Fata.

Meanwhile, the ongoing downpour continued on Sunday in the provincial capital where 51 mm of rainfall was recorded.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 9^th, 2015.