STATES OF PESHAWAR AND SHANGLA:
Heavy rains continued to lash the hilly areas of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa on Sunday, resulting in the deaths of six more persons, according to rescue and weather officials.
The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) reported that ten people had died and widespread damage had occurred across multiple districts in the aftermath of the disaster during the preceding 48 hours.
According to the PDMA, six individuals were killed in two separate incidents: four in a roof collapse in Mansehra and two in a landslide in Bahrain Tehsil, Swat area.
Five people were saved by the Rescue 1122 crew after they were buried by a landslide that hit a house in the Madain neighborhood. Two of the rescued victims, however, passed away despite medical attention in a Madain hospital.
The death toll has risen from four on Saturday, when it was first reported, to ten in the last 48 hours. At least seven people were hurt in these accidents, as reported by the PDMA.
Seven homes in the province were entirely destroyed and another 67 were damaged by the rains and floods. There were 39 partially damaged homes in Lower Chitral and 19 in Upper Chitral.
In response to the disaster, authorities in the Chitral region launched a large relief operation to move those in need to safer areas. Dried ration supplies were also distributed to the afflicted families.
The province administration immediately responded by releasing Rs60 million in help to the rain-hit districts. The Chitral Upper and Lower districts received 20 million PKR apiece, while the Bannu and Shangla districts received 10 million PKR each.
Heavy rains in Chitral, Swat, and Dir districts necessitated the mobilization of Army and Frontier Corps (FC) North men to aid in rescue and relief efforts.
Heavy rains swept across Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, washing away roads and damaging bridges. The Shringal-Kumrat road in Kalkot, Chitral, and the key bridge connecting Chitral to Boni were among the damaged infrastructure.
The Karakorum Highway and other places were affected by landslides, while flooding was reported along the Alpuri-Bisham major highway and roads to Spina Kada and Ranyal in Shangla.
Authorities made concerted efforts to reopen secondary roads to minimize inconveniences. Heavy equipment was used by the military and the government to clear the roads and bridges, making it easier to transport supplies and help.
Despite these precautions, the Meteorological Department has issued a nationwide weather alert for the next 72 hours, predicting further heavy rain, thunderstorms, and lightning. Nullahs in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Azad Kashmir were highlighted as particularly vulnerable to landslides and flash floods.
Low flood conditions were reported for the rivers Indus, Chenab, Ravi, and Kabul by the Federal Flood Commission (FFC), while an increasing trend was seen for the rivers Kalabagh-Chashma, Chashma-Taunsa, Marala-Khanki, and Warsak-Nowshera. The FFC also issued a watch for hill torrents in the Dera Ghazi Khan division of Balochistan and moderate to strong flash floods in the nullahs of the Loralai, Kalat, Sibbi, Makran, and Nasirabad divisions.
