At least 57 die due to heavy downpour, landsliding in KP, GB, AJK

PESHAWAR: At least 57 people have died and several others injured after torrential rains and landsliding wreck havoc in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan.

According to latest report of PDMA Khyber Pakhtunkhwa issued here on Sunday, 14 people died in Shangla, 12 in Kohistan, eight in Swat and two each in Battagram, Bannu and Mardan districts.

One person each killed in Chitral, Charsadda, Malakand, Mansehra and Upper Dir, the report added.

The PDMA has dispatched relief goods, including 200 tents each to Swat, Shangla, Upper Dir, Lower Dir, and Kohistan districts.

A number of houses were also damaged and bridges swept away by flood water in different parts of the province.

Heavy rain and hailstorm lashed Loralai city and its outskirts. Torrential rain caused serious losses to orchards and other standing crops. Reports of landsliding have also been received from Neelam valley of Azad Kashmir.

Eight persons of the same family were killed in Sharda when their house collapsed due to landsliding. Four members of a family have also been killed and three others injured in Chilas when roof of their house collapsed in Jichen.

The communication link has been disconnected due to torrential rain in Gilgit Baltistan. Heavy landsliding also damaged Karakorum Highway between Gilgit and Chilas.

In Ghizer, eight residential houses were collapsed due to landslides in Sherqila village.

Chief Minister Gilgit-Baltistan Hafiz Hafeez Ur Rehman later announced public holiday in educational institutions in all districts of the area for Monday.