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| 5 killed as rain, landslides, avalanches wreak havoc |
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| F.P. Report
MINGORA: Five persons died and nine individuals were reported injured in rain and flood related incidents as well as huge losses of property in Swat, Shangla and Kohistan on Monday.
Four days of continuous rain and the resulting floods have wreaked havoc in most areas of Swat. Gushing with floodwater ravines, streams and canals swelled the level of river Swat to dangerous heights.
The water in the stream passing through the centre of the district headquarters, Mingora, overflowed into the city and the streets became waterways. Bangladesh, Mulla Baba, Akhtarabad, Murghazar Town, Faizabad and many areas in and as well as around the city have submerged in water. Many residents have been trapped in their homes. Flood has razed several homes to ground and carried away household goods. Many residents of the city and the suburbs are leaving their homes for safer locations. The people who have left their homes are anxiously awaiting government help.
A house, belonging to one Haya Khan, collapsed due to landslide in the suburbs of Shangla. The DPO reached with police force to the place of the incident and with the help of the locals dug out bodies of a woman, Zarsanga, and her daughter Halima, wife and daughter, respectively, of one Sarfaraz Khan. One Rasheeda, wife of Rehmat Ullah and a small girl were taken out injured but alive from the debris of the house and were shifted to a hospital. Rasheeda later succumbed to her injuries.
A landslide in Buner area of Shangla fell on the home of a local and residences of security staff of a Chinese company working in Ranial Dam; however no fatality or injury was reported.
Heavy snowfall coupled with several incidents of land sliding on Shangla top and Shangla road badly damaged the road. In Mandara area near Kohistan an avalanche fell on a truck killing the driver and injuring two others.
Another avalanche hit a house killing one Shamsi, son of Khair Jan. His three children were injured.
A landslide completely destroyed a car in Karkara area of Swat's Burrikot tehsil. The driver Bakhtzada, son of Khan, resident of Buner, was injured. Three others just managed to escape unscathed.
The landslide also closed the Buner-Swat highway for traffic.
In Guljabba of Kabal tehsil, two individuals were injured when a roof of a home caved in.
An avalanche in Jakh area near Kalam blocked Kalam-Mingora Highway. The electricity system was also affected and added to the miseries of the people.
The high flood in River Swat has inundated the bypass of Ayub Bridge and traffic had to be suspended. Heavy rains and floods also added to the apprehensions that more agricultural land may be immersed under fast flowing water eroding the sparse and costly land or the least harm it could would be to wash way the standing crops.
Agencies add: Sharah-e-Neelam has been closed down after land sliding at various places, while the rain and snowfall in upper parts of the valley is still in progress for the fourth straight day.
According to reports coming from Gilgit-Baltistan, land route to Skardu city has been disconnected after mudslides triggered by heavy rains have blocked the only land route to the city, while similar reports were received from few other areas of the region.
"The Gilgit-Skardu road is closed for traffic owing to land sliding in Tehsil Rondo," sources said.
Meanwhile, traffic has been blocked on several link roads due to snowfall on mountains in Mansehra and Kohistan districts.The routine life is severely affected in various districts of Gilgit-Baltistan including Diamer, Astore and Ghazar.
The mountains in Parachinar, Kurram Agency and Khyber Agency are all covered with snow. The most cities of Northern Balochistan including Chaman are receiving stormy downpours. Also, the Kozak Top received heavy snowfall, which caused Quetta-Chaman road to be closed for traffic.
The Nato supply also discontinued with dozens of vehicles trapped on the road.
Large swathes of land were deluged in Balidan, as River Kaitch rages near Balochistan's district Turbat. Also, the traffic has been held up by floods on Coastal Highway.Punjab cities including Faisalabad and Sargodha are receiving heavy showers; while, other cities including Jhang, Bahawalpur, Chichawatni, Toba Tek Singh and Khushab are witnessing intermittent downpours.
Sindh areas including Jackobabad, Nawabshah, Khairpur, Mirpur Khas, Badin, Thatta, and the adjacent areas are receiving showers sporadically.
KARACHI: Gulshan-e-Iqbal Town has declared rain emergency and deployed special staff to deal with sewerage, cleanliness and other problems in the town in the wake of rain forecast.
Citizens have been asked to lodge their rain-related complaints on the following telehpne number 99230355-6.
BUNER: The forty eight-hour long continues torrential raining has paralyzed life in the district when the telephone lines went silent, electricity blackout, roads cut off due to flood water that forced the inhabitants to stay at home following attendance in schools and offices, shopping in markets, patients in hospitals and commuters at bus stands even police and forces on road remained thin and the district presented a deserted look on Monday.
The mud houses have lost boundary walls and supporting walls when unable to absorb more water shower while some of them grounded when lost resistance to the continues showing. The snow fall on the surrounding mountains of Dwa Saroo, Elum, Soor Ghar, Jaffar and Dak and Dang Sar sent a wave of extreme cool in the area. |
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