Nine killed as no let-up in rains

Pak Tribune - PESHAWAR: Nine people were killed and scores of others injured as heavy rains and snowfall lashed various parts of the country for the fourth consecutive day on Monday.

Reports from the Shangla district said an avalanche hit the house of one Haya Khan at Bazarkot, leaving his mother Zar Sanga, daughter Muslima Bibi and two minor children dead. Some agencies reported that six persons lost their lives in the incident. Police and locals retrieved the bodies from the debris.

Also, landsliding destroyed the camp of Syno Hydro, a Chinese electric company in the Ranial area. However, the police and Army soldiers at the camp succeeded in leaving the camp in time to save their lives.

Landsliding due to heavy rains and snowfall also destroyed an Army and police camp in Ranial, besides collapsing two more houses in which no loss of life was reported. A woman was killed when the roof of a house caved in due to torrential rains in Mianjee Khel village in Thal Tehsil of the Hangu district early Monday. The family was asleep when the roof of the room collapsed,killing the woman.

Heavy rains and snowfall paralysed life in Chitral and Upper Dir districts as well, temporarily suspending vehicular traffic between Chitral and down-country at the snow-clad Lowari Top. Reports reaching here suggested that the Lowari Top on Dir side had received 5 feet snowfall while Morkoh, Torkoh and Mastooj had received one-foot and Chitral city received eight inch snowfall till the filing of this report.

Electricity supply to Chitral has been suspended from the national grid for the last four days while local grid station is also out of order. Attendance at the offices remained thin on Monday and according to District Coordination Officer (DCO) Rahmatullah Wazir educational institutions in the district had been closed till February 15. The heavy snowfall paralysed the routine life.

Several routes, including Bisham-Mingora road, Alpuri-Puran road, Karora-Chakesar road and Shahpur-Alpuri road were closed due to heavy snowfall on the Shangla Top, Yakh Tangi and Shahpur.

Landsliding caused closure of the Karakoram Highway at Chakai while many other link roads in the district were closed for all kinds of traffic. A report from Mingora said floodwater washed away a bridge at Sangota leading to cutting of link with Khwazakhela. Hundreds of houses in various localities of Mingora were submerged due to floodwater from the stream. Sources said the houses located near the stream in Mula Baba, Haji Baba, Landikas and Amankot areas were affected.

Meanwhile, official sources said there was slight flooding in Kokarai, Sangota and Mingora city. An official of the NWFP Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) in Peshawar said a flood control cell had been set up in Mingora to monitor the situation.

The rain and floodwater badly disturbed traffic as well as routine activities in Daggar, Pir Baba ad Elai areas of Buner district. An avalanche hit the main road at Karakar, causing suspension of heavy traffic between Buner and Swat though light vehicular traffic continued to ply.

Upper Dir district also suffered due to rain and snowfall. Qulandi, Dobando and Kohistan received two feet and Dir Town six inches of snowfall. According to the meteorological department forecast, the current weather system after giving widespread rain with snowfall is weakening gradually. Dry weather is predicted in the plains of the country. However, more rain with snowfall over the hills is expected in isolated places of Hazara Division, but weather is likely to become clear in all parts of the country today.

Heavy rainfall was reported from Saidu Sharif followed by Rawalakot which caused flash flooding in rivers Swat and Kech. Landslides along major roads in Gilgit-Baltistan, upper NWFP and Kashmir also disrupted the traffic badly.

According to the Met Office, two to three feet snow fell over the hills of Malakand Division, Gilgit-Baltistan and Kashmir. Galliyat in Abbottabad district received one-foot snowfall. Saidu Sharif had received 252 millimetres of rain, Rawalakot 111, Balakot 97, Dir 94, Abbottabad 38, Chitral 37 and Peshawar 34 millimetres.

Agencies add: In the Mandara area near Kohistan, a heavy avalanche fell on a truck, killing the driver and injuring two others. Likewise, in Dir-Kohistan, one Shamsi died and his three children sustained injuries when a heavy avalanche fell on their house.

Two persons, including a woman, died and 13 others sustained injuries when houses collapsed in Oghi, Hashtu and Chlandrayan areas in Hazara Division due to continued rain and snowfall. The mountains in Parachinar, Kurram Agency and Khyber Agency are all covered with snow.

Most cities of Northern Balochistan are receiving stormy downpours. Also, Kozak Top received heavy snowfall, which caused Quetta-Chaman road closure. Traffic has been held up by floods on Coastal Highway. Sindh areas, including Jacobabad, Nawabshah, Khairpur, Mirpurkhas, Badin and Thatta are receiving showers sporadically.

Our Lahore correspondent adds: In Lahore, rain left various city localities inundated and civic authorities once again failed to drain rainwater.

At least 7mm rain was measured at the Lahore airport and 6mm in the city. Maximum temperature in the city was 17.5 C while minimum was 11 C. The Met office forecast cloudy weather on Tuesday (today) with chances of rain and thunderstorm.

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