25 dead, 47 injured as heavy rains wreak havoc in KP

PESHAWAR: Death toll from rain-related incidents in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa reached 25 as eight more deaths were recorded on Sunday while the number of injured persons jumped to 47, reported The News.

As many as 87 houses were damaged and 11 destroyed in the province as torrential rains wreaked havoc over the past four days. The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA)’s list showed one each death in Mardan and Swabi and two from Khyber due to roof collapse incidents. 

However, The News correspondents reported three cases from Swabi and two from Hangu, thus raising the total number of dead to 25. According to details, three people, including two young cousins, were killed in rain-related incidents in Swabi.

Also read: Rains lash different areas of country, claim six lives in KP

In Lalbeg village, two children had gone to bring fodder for animals when they got trapped under the haystack. Their parents rushed to the field when the two boys did not return home. 

They were found trapped under the collapsed haystack. The children were identified as Ibrahim Khan, 12, and Waseem Khan, 12. In the second incident in Hareef village, the roof of a house caved in.

As a result, the owner of the house, Sawar Khan, was killed. The locals pulled out the body from the debris. Three Afghan children were injured when their houses collapsed in Gandaf refugee camp in Swabi. 

Also read: 17 dead, 38 wounded as rains lash Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Ten more injuries cases were reported, including six from Mardan, three from Khyber and one from Malakand. An eight-year-old child, Hasnain, was killed when a roof caved in at Londkhwar area in Mardan district

His father was also injured in the incident. In Shergarh, a couple got injured due to a roof collapse. The woman was stated to be in a critical condition. Report from Hangu said, one Aminullah and his eight-year-old daughter Aimen Bibi were killed due roof collapse at Sra Chapri village.

Two children were killed and eight others sustained injuries when a roof of the house collapsed in Bara tehsil in Khyber tribal district Saturday night. Soon after the incident, the locals rushed and retrieved the bodies and rescued the injured.

Also read: Heavy rains claim five lives in KP, cause power failure in parts of Lahore

The house of one Sher Badshah caved in at Sipah area in Bara tehsil due to heavy rain in the wee hours of Sunday as a result, two children, identified as Salman and Maryam, were killed on the spot while eight others sustained injuries.

The injured were shifted to the Dogra hospital. A 13-year-old girl was killed and two others were injured in a roof collapse incident in Utmanzai area in Mohmand tribal district.

Karakoram Highway blocked

In Mansehra, the rains and snowfall wreaked havoc in upper parts of Hazara division as the Karakoram Highway remained blocked at various points and over a dozen mud-houses collapsed. 

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The rain, which continued on the fifth consecutive day on Sunday, adversely affected routine life in Mansehra, Torghar, Upper Kohistan, Lower Kohistan and Kolai-Palas districts.

The traffic between Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan remained suspended as Karakoram Highway was blocked at Karo and Gagan Nullah areas of Lower Kohistan in the wee hours on Sunday. 

The passengers were stranded on both sides of the road in long queues of vehicles.

Originally published in The News