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| February 21, 2003 | Friday | Zul Hijjah 19, 1423 |
Three children among 5 killed in rain-related incidents
RAWALPINDI, Feb 20: Seven people were killed, five in rain related incidents, in different parts of the city on Thursday, police and witnesses said.
In the first incident, three persons — a minor boy and his parents — were killed and four others injured after the wall of an under-construction plaza in Gulraiz Colony collapsed due to rain on early Thursday morning.
Yaqoob, 40, his wife, Amiran Bibi, 28, Imtiaz Yaqoob, 7, Ishaq Yaqoob, 9, seven-month-old Sana Yaqoob, Shamim, 22, and 55- year-old Bashir were sleeping in their huts adjacent to a wall of the plaza when it fell on the huts.
As a result, Yaqoob, Amiran Bibi and their son, Imtiaz, died on the spot while others sustained injuries. The injured were shifted to the District Headquarter Hospital where they were said to be in stable condition.
Similarly, two children were killed and their parents injured after the roof of their house in Tench Bhatta caved in due to rain on Thursday night, witnesses and police said.
Hassan Ali, his wife, Khalida, and four children Nasir, Ishrat, Muzamal, and Neelam were residing in Sadat Street. Muzamal, 9, and Neelam, 10, were sleeping with their mother when the incident took place, the residents said.
The victims were pulled out of the debris by the neighbours and shifted to the District Headquarter Hospital. Muzamal and Neelam were pronounced dead by the doctors at the hospital, while Ishrat’s condition was said to be serious.
In the third incident, two auto-workshop workers were suffocated by coal gas at a biscuit factory in Quaid-i-Azam Colony, Chakri Road, the police said.
Yasir Mehmood and Mohammad Nawaz were sleeping after putting a coal grate in their room.
The incident came to light on early Thursday morning when the door of their room was knocked at by their fellows workers.
However, on not receiving any response, they broke open the door and found the two men dead, while the room was filled with gas. The police and doctors said the cause of the death was suffocation.
Meanwhile, the building of a government high school at Karoor on Simly Dam Road was destroyed after fire broke out on Thursday. However, no person was reported hurt in the incident, the fire department and police said.
A fire department official said the fire erupted in the three-storey building, comprising 52 rooms, around 7am. The class rooms and other parts of the building were destroyed. The fire fighters from Islamabad, Rawalpindi and the KRL fire station were sent to the scene of fire.
“The fire was controlled after hectic efforts at 1:30pm,” a fire department officer said. He said the real cause of the incident is yet to be ascertained, however, it seemed “pre- planned”.
In another incident, a passenger wagon was snatched from its driver near Rawat, the police said on Thursday.
According to the police, six people hired the wagon from Rawalpindi for Rawat, and upon reaching a deserted spot, forced the driver to give up car keys on gunpoint. They, then, escaped in the wagon.
Similarly, Azhar Ghafar’s car (RIY-4665) was stolen from the Civil Lines area, while Asif Mehmood Mughal’s van was lifted from the parking area of the Rawalpindi Cantonment Board office, the police said.
APP ADDS: The Secretariat police during the routine patrolling arrested two persons following the recovery of illegal arms from their possession.
Those arrested are Arshad and Zafar. The police recovered two pistols of 30-bore and three rounds each from their possession.
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