Five dead as rain, hailstorm lash parts of KP, Balochistan, Punjab
Heavy rain coupled with hailstorms lashed various parts of Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), and Punjab, claiming five lives while eight were injured in rainrelated incidents in parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Though rain brought down temperatures and turned the weather pleasant, it created a flood-like situation in cities like Peshawar, the capital of KP, prompting Provincial Chief Minister (CM) Ali Amin Gandapur to direct the PDMA and the rescue personnel to remain alert to deal with any eventuality. “All resources should be utilized to cope with any untoward incident, he directed, adding that timely assistance and relief should be ensured. “Necessary measures should be taken to open the roads which may be closed due to rains and snowfall and availability of small and large machinery and manpower should be ensured,” the CM directed. The situation was same in Balochistan where rain and hailstorms pounded the provincial capital Quetta and other cities, again turning the weather chilly in these areas. Rain and hailstorms in some places were also reported from different cities of Punjab, including Lahore. Temperatures came down in Lahore as rain, coupled with a cool breeze, kept pouring throughout the night. Areas of the city like Township, Model Town, Gulberg, Garhi Shahu, Dharampura, Mughalpura, Ferozepur Road, Canal Road, Katcha Jail Road, Jail Road, Ichhra and Rehmanpura received light to moderate rain.
According to the KP Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), three children had died in Shangla while one adult and one child passed away in Bajaur in rain-related incidents.
The PDMA report stated that four of the five fatalities and five of the eight injured were children. Meanwhile, Rescue 1122 spokesperson Rasool Khan Sharif said that two people died and a girl was injured after a roof collapsed in the Banda China area of Alpuri Shangla. He also confirmed that two children were swept away by flash floods after lightning. The ODMA said that heavy rain resulted in the collapse of a roof at Warsak Road in Peshawar due to which three people, a woman and two kids, were buried underneath the rubble. The Rescue 1122 personnel, however, managed to recover all three of them and shifted them to hospital. Separately, National Highway Authority Deputy Director Ghulam Abbas said that the Karakoram Highway was blocked at multiple locations between Kohistan of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Diamer of Gilgit Baltistan.
However, he said, teams were on the spot to remove landslides rubbles and clear the main artery for light traffic. “Due to [the] suspension of work at Dassu hydropower project by Chinese companies, the rainwater inundated into the tunnel and it is blocked now. A request was made to the project officials to run the water pump installed in the tunnel to dewater it and allow the motorists [to continue],” Abbas informed.