At least 13 people died, including nine children, and three were injured over the last 48 hours in monsoon rain-related incidents across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) said in a damage report on Wednesday.
Monsoon rains, which fall across the region from June to September every year, continue to lash many parts of the country, prompting authorities to release an urban flooding warning for several cities.
The monsoon death toll since the end of June surged to 234, according to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). Heavy rains triggered flash floods in several districts of KP and Gilgit-Baltistan, damaging homes and increasing water levels in rivers and streams.
Over the last 48 hours, Swat has recorded the highest toll as six children and one woman died owing to flash floods and a house collapsing, while a woman and child were injured, the KP PDMA report said.
Three people died in Buner, which experienced heavy rain with thunder and lightning. A woman and her child died in a thunder strike, while an eight-year-old boy was swept away. “The dead body has been recovered by the locals,” the PDMA said.
Incidents caused by heavy rains in Bajaur claimed the lives of a man and a child. The victims were brothers, aged 21 and five.
“Their mother was successfully rescued while the bodies of both brothers were recovered,” the PDMA quoted the Bajaur Deputy Commissioner’s Office as saying.
Per the report, a woman also died in Upper Kohistan, while a child was injured in Torghar as heavy rains caused a roof to collapse. A total of 19 houses had been damaged due to the heavy downpour, out of which two were completely destroyed and 17 sustained partial damage.
“The current spell of heavy rains is likely to continue intermittently until July 25,” the report said.
“The PDMA has already sent a letter to all district administrations to take precautionary measures in view of the weather situation, and has directed that relief activities be intensified in affected districts to provide immediate relief to all victims,” it said.
The authority directed that all tourists be apprised of the weather and to take precautionary measures.
“The public should contact the free helpline 1700 for any untoward incident, weather situation updates and information,” the report added.
On Monday, KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur directed the district administration to remain on high alert after forecasts indicated more monsoon rains in the province.
He instructed all relevant departments to take precautionary measures to deal with potential risks such as floods and landslides.
A day earlier, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) warned of a heightened risk of glacial lake outburst floods (Glofs) in Gilgit-Baltistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, as over 200 stranded tourists were rescued from GB’s Diamer district as heavy floods battered the region.
All tourists stranded on Babusar Highway rescued
All tourists who were stranded on the Babusar Highway have been rescued and are currently in Chilas city, according to Gilgit-Baltistan spokesperson Faizullah Faraq.
He said the search operation for those who were missing is still ongoing.
“The Karakoram Highway has been closed again at one or two points, which has left thousands of travellers stranded at various places across the highway,” Faraq said.
He noted that local private hotel owners, as well as the government, have arranged for free accommodation for tourists.“
Work is underway to restore the Silk Road up to Bisham, Faraq said.
He added that GB Chief Minister Haji Gulbar Khan would visit the affected area of Babusar Highway today to personally review the damage caused by flooding and see the problems faced by tourists.
The spokesperson also said that the chief minister will issue important orders regarding flood disasters and rehabilitation of the victims.
Road link between Jhelum and Pind Dadan Khan being restored
Meanwhile, Jhelum Deputy Commissioner (DC) Syed Meisam Abbas told media.com that the suspended road link between Jhelum and Pind Dadan Khan tehsils was being restored on an urgent basis due to the collapse of the bridge between Darapur and Bhumbar towns.
The newly constructed bridge was swept away during last week’s flash floods in Jhelum district.
DC Abbas said that a steel bridge at Banaahn Nullah was nearing completion, with engineers working day and night to restore the road link on the Lillah-Jhelum road.
The officer said that during the recent flash floods, the Banaahn Nullah had sprawled to the width of eight kilometres, while at normal flooding, its breadth was recorded as hardly 1km. The officer said that the change in its course also inundated the residential areas of Chotala, Bhumbar, Shahpur and Darapur, while scattered farmhouses and localities were also affected, and the residents were evacuated safely.
The deputy commissioner said that the recently constructed bridge was also swept away and and the direct road link for all sorts of traffic was suspended.
He further said that the Punjab highways department and the district administration decided to put in place a steel bridge for light transport to restore linkage for the public. The DC said the bridge would be opened soon for crossing the nullah only for light vehicles.
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