At least 27 killed, dozens injured as heavy rains & thunderstorm hit several parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab
PESHAWAR/LAHORE, June 10 (SABAH): At least 27 people were killed and dozens were injured after heavy rains and thunderstorm hit several parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab on Saturday.
In Bannu district of KP, at least 22 deaths and 73 injuries were reported in roof and wall collapse-related incidents.
Meanwhile, at least 5 people were killed and 73 others wounded in Lakki Marwat and Karak districts in wall collapse incidents. Hospital sources said four children and a woman were among the victims.
The Rescue 1122 official said that all stations of their Rescue 1122 in KP are on alert to deal with any untoward incident.
He said relief activities continued as due to heavy rain, roof collapses occurred at many places in Lakki Marwat, Bannu and other parts of the province.
He disclosed that Rescue 1122’s search and rescue operations are ongoing as all the injured are being shifted to the hospital after providing medical aid on the spot.
In Mingora city and the surrounding areas of Swat, rivers and canals have overflowed due to the heavy rain, compounding the already dire situation. Additionally, some regions witnessed hailstorms, further intensifying the destruction caused by the severe weather conditions.
KP caretaker Information Minister Barrister Feroze Jamal Shah, in a statement, said that a high alert had been issued in the hospitals of the affected districts. He said the interim government was in contact with the authorities of the affected areas.
Similarly, heavy rains along with strong winds battered several parts of Punjab including Sargodha, Gujranwala, Faisalabad and other districts.
In Chan village of Khushab district of the province, three girls died after a wall of their house collapsed due to torrential rains.
In Gujranwala, torrential rain led to the injury of seven people in various accidents across the city. On Aymanabad road, the wind caused the shed of a steel factory to collapse onto workers, resulting in three injuries.
Moreover, incidents of roof collapses in Dhale and Gondanwala, including a scrap warehouse in Dhale, caused injuries to seven individuals. Three more people sustained injuries when the roof of their house gave way, and four were injured in a similar incident in Gondanwala village.
The powerful winds uprooted numerous trees, adding to the chaos and destruction. Approximately 100 electricity feeders of GAPCO tripped due to the ongoing rain and gusty winds, leaving vast portions of the region in darkness.
Gujranwala, Gujrat, Mandi Bahauddin, Malkwal, Kharian, Dinga Hafizabad, Pindi Bhattian, Jalalpur Bhattian, Sukhiki, Jalalpur Jattan, Sialkot, and Wazirabad are among the areas severely affected by the tripped feeders.
The local authorities, rescue services, and disaster management teams are working tirelessly to assist those affected by the catastrophic weather events. Efforts are underway to provide medical aid, restore electricity, and address the immediate needs of the affected population.
Heavy rain with thunderstorm was also reported from Azad Jammu and Kashmir’s (AJK) Nakyal city and its suburbs.
According to a Met Office forecast shared by the PDMA on Saturday evening, “very hot and dry weather” is expected in most districts of KP over the next 24 hours. But there were chances of wind/dust storms and isolated rain-thunderstorm in most plain areas of the province in the evening and at night, the statement said.
It added that isolated spells of rain and wind/thunderstorms were expected in Chitral, Lower and Upper Dir, Buner, Swat, Shangla, Kohistan, Torghar, Battagram, Mansehra, Abbottabad, Bajaur, Mohmand, Khyber, Orakzai, Kurram and Waziristan districts in the evening and at night.
Wind/dust storms may cause damage to loose infrastructure in Kurram, Hangu, Orakzai, North and South Waziristan, Tank, Kohat, Karak, Lakki Marwat, Charsadda, Peshawar, Khyber and Nowshera districts, the statement said. “All concerned authorities are advised to remain alert during the forecast period,” it said.