Five children died across Balochistan while four people lost their lives in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa over the past day as monsoon rains continued to wreak havoc countrywide, officials said on Tuesday. Deaths mount countrywide as various areas continue to receive monsoon showers along with the remnants of cyclonic storm Asna that brought with it heavy rains for Sindh and Balochistan. Since July 1, a total of 39 people have died in Balochistan in rain-related incidents, Younus Mengal, head of the Provincial Disaster Management Authority’s control room, (PDMA) told. The deceased include 19 children, five of whom died in three separate incidents on Monday, Mengal said. The PDMA official said a new spell of rain entered Balochistan a day ago and was expected to continue till tonight in 22 districts. Relief and rescue efforts were under way in the province, he added. Detailing the deadly incidents, Mengal said a pair of brothers drowned in flashfloods in Zhob District, and their bodies were recovered by the district administration and the PDMA.

In Khuzdar District’s Tootak area, three children were “immediately rescued” by Levies officials after they fell into a dam but were taken to a hospital, where two of them passed away, the official said. A fifth minor, Mengal added, drowned in a flash flood passing by the Kech River in Kech District. The PDMA official confirmed that 11 Balochistan districts have been declared calamity-hit as of yet, where the authority’s aid efforts were under way. Mengal further said that in view of alerts by the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), holidays of PDMA and other government employees had been suspended. According to a PDMA report issued on Monday, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, 17 people have been injured in rain-related incidents across Balochistan from July 1 to September 1. Some 895 houses have been completely damaged while more than 14,000 have been partially damaged during the period, with Khuzdar and Jaffarabad being the most affected.

Over 111,400 people province-wide have been affected by the rains as seven bridges, 74 kilometres of roads and seven medical health units have been left damaged. On the agricultural side, 58,830 acres of crop have been affected while 373 livestock have perished so far. Meanwhile, four people lost their lives as heavy rainfalls lashed parts of KP during the last 24 hours, a report issued by PDMA spokesperson Anwar Shahzad said. According to PDMA, three persons died after a landslide in Upper Kohistan struck a bus, while a minor was struck by lightning in Malakand District. Meanwhile, the Karakoram Highway, which had been blocked last night due to heavy downpours, was reopened for all kinds of traffic on Tuesday. Several vehicles, including a bulldozer, were stuck on Monday night due to landslide debris brought by the flooding water in the Shukryat area of Upper Kohistan. The clearance of the road today allowed stranded passengers to leave for their destinations.

National Highway Authority (NHA) Deputy Director Ghulam Abbas confirmed that the road was blocked at the Dasu area but now was reopened for all traffic. He said the vehicles stuck in the floods (mudslides) had also been pulled out from the debris. Reiterating the same, Upper Kohistan District Police Officer Mukhtiar Ahmad, said vehicles stranded on both sides had left for their destinations safely. The PDMA report said that the scenic tourist hotspot, Kumrat Valley Road in Upper Dir’s Thal area, was blocked after parts of it caved in after massive floods hit the area. It added that authorities in Upper Dir and other districts had been asked to reopen the roads for traffic at the earliest and establish alternate routes for commuters. According to the report, 96 people had died and 133 injured across KP in rain-related incidents from July 1 to September 2 (Monday).

Credit: Independent News Pakistan