Tariq Saeed
Peshawar
Torrential rains followed by heavy floods and land sliding across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa lashed several cities leaving at least two people dead and dozens other injured besides damaging scores of buildings during the last twenty four hours. The downpour that started Monday afternoon and continued till the filing of this report, badly hit many cities including the provincial metropolis Peshawar where water accumulated at many areas badly disrupting the flow of traffic and inundating low lying and slum areas.
At least two children were killed and several others received injuries during latest spell of monsoon rains across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, according to the preliminary statistics issued by the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA). Besides, scores of houses were also damaged during this period. In Shangla district two children lost their lives in rain-related incidents. Several houses were partially damaged. The local administrations have been asked to compile data of the losses due to recent monsoon spell in the province.
As heavy rains continued to lash parts of KP, it also triggering flash floods in several areas of the province particularly the Swat districts where river Pangore and river Swat swelled thus inundating streets and low lying areas. The gushing waters flooded the main Bazaars and streets in scenic valley of Bahrain and several houses were destroyed or partially damaged. There were reports of minor injuries to many people in the region.
The landslides caused by heavy rains at various parts blocked the roads and many tourists were stranded in various areas of Swat district including Kalam and Bahrain. The heavy downpour also caused damage to crops in some areas. The PDMA officials said efforts were underway to reopen blocked roads due to land sliding. They said the authority was in contact with all district administrations and the PDMA’s emergency operation center was fully functional and working round the clock.
