February 13, 2007	Tuesday	Muharram 24, 1428

PESHAWAR, Feb 12: At least 28 people were killed and 36 others wounded as heavy rains and snowfall continued to pound different parts of the NWFP and its adjacent tribal areas on the fourth consecutive day on Monday, knocking out power supply in many areas, causing many houses to collapse and badly paralysing the normal life across the province.

Police and residents said that 12 people had been killed and 13 injured in rain-related incidents in the Nowshera district, where 100 mud houses had caved in during the past four days.

Met officials in Peshawar said that Nowshera had recorded 278 millimetre of rains, so far, in different areas.

Despite the devastating rains, the provincial government and its flood relief commission have yet to respond to the situation.

“The situation is not so critical to take emergency measures or to mobilise the whole relief providing set-up,” said Asif Iqbal Daudzai, provincial minister for information.

Police said that four people were killed and four others critically wounded when a house collapsed in Nizampur, Nowshera district, on Monday.

Many families were left homeless in four union councils of the district and were forced to take shelter in a school buildings of the area. About 40 houses had partially been destroyed by the rains in Nowshera Kalan, situated on the bank of the Kabul River.

In the Charsadda district, a house collapsed in the Tangi Miangan village, killing two children. The victims have been identified as Zakir Hussain and Shabana.

In the Mardan district, two people were killed and three others wounded in rain-related incidents while 30 sheep perished when a cattle pen collapsed on Monday.

The incidents took place in the Lund Khwar, Par Hoti and Sher Garh areas of the district.

A woman and her two children were killed and three others injured after the roof of their house caved in Kohat.

Those killed in the incident have been identified as Khadija Bibi, her son Mudassair and daughter Nazia.

Allauddin, the father of the children, his another son Saad and nephew Suhail were seriously injured.

The incident occurred in the Zargaran Bazaar on Sunday night. The injured were admitted to the Liaquat Memorial Hospital.

The Met office has recorded 161mm of rains during the five days with a minimum temperature of 9.0 Celsius during day and the maximum of 11.5 Celsius.

In the Bajaur Agency where 160mm of rains was recorded, two people were killed and five others wounded on Monday.

Inclement weather has brought down mercury to minus three degree centigrade in the area and many roads were blocked due to heavy snowfall, causing serious problems to the people and forcing them to remain indoors.

Many houses in the area have collapsed and some of the areas the agency have had been without power for the last couple of days.

Political administration has set up a monitoring cell for the assessment of the damage caused by the rains.

Nathiagali, Thanidyani, Ayubia and other hilly areas of Hazara region received the heaviest snowfall of the current season and the Abbottabad-Muree road was completely blocked for all sorts of vehicular traffic with the exception of the jeeps and other vehicles using chained tyres.

Power supply which was suspended four days ago because of the heavy snowfall could not be restored.

According to police sources, three to four feet of snow had been received in Nathiagali, Changala Gali, Donga Gali, Bara Gali, Ayubia and Thanidyani, while all link roads were completely closed for all sorts of traffic.

Due to suspension of power supply, acute water shortage has been reported from many areas and due to closer of main and link roads of Kala Bagh to Sajan Gali, Nathiagali to Bakot and Namli Mera, Kahnis Pur to Lahooure Kas, Changala Gali to Ziarat Masoom, Khaira Gali to Malkot and Changala Gali to Tajwal, residents of the area were short of food supply.

They have demanded early clearance of all roads and immediate supply of foodstuff to rescue people from starvation.

Heavy snowfall has also been reported in earthquake-affected areas, especially upper areas of Kaghan, Narran, Jared, Mahndri Oghi and Allai, and the Battagram road link from Balakot to Kaghan Narran was closed from village Ghanool onward.

Rainwater submerged streets and roads as the sewerage system of Peshawar city collapsed due to unprecedented rains, exposing the sub-standard work carried out by personnel of civic agencies. The Met office said so far 174mm of rains had been recorded during the past four days. The situation is getting worse in the downtown areas of Peshawar, including Kohati, Lahori, Sheikhabad, Hussainabad, and Shaheen Muslim town, where ankle-deep rainwater had accumulated on the streets.

Six children and a man were killed and 13 wounded in rain-related incidents in different areas of the Bara tehsil of the Khyber Agency on Monday.

Sources said that a house collapsed in the Akakhel area near Bara, leaving three children dead and three others wounded. In another incident a house collapsed in the Karigar Garhi area, killing a man identified as Nasir and critically injuring his four family members.

In another an incident in Malik Din Khel area of the Bara tehsil, a house collapsed due to heavy rains, killing three members of a family.