July 14, 2007	Saturday	Jamadi-us-Sani 28, 1428

HARIPUR/SWABI, July 13: At least eight people were killed and dozens of others were injured when gusty winds accompanied by heavy rain lashed parts of the province on Thursday night.

Five people, including a woman and three children, were killed and 23 received injuries in Haripur district when roofs and walls of several houses collapsed following gusty winds and heavy rain.

Windstorm and rain that lasted for about one and half an hour, caused suspension of power supply to the entire district as the electricity network was badly damaged in different areas. The fallen trees and poles blocked different roads.

It started raining at around 9pm and continued till 10:30pm.

The Kot Najibullah police said the family of Mohammad Iqbal was in its clay-roofed house in Kangra village when it caved in, killing his wife Sultan Bibi, son Iftikhar and three-year-old daughter Nadia.

In Mohalla Afzalabad, a three-year-old boy Adil, son of Adnan, was killed and his mother and sister sustained injuries when the roof of their house was collapsed.

Eraj Sultan of Mohalla Khoo was going to home when the upper storey wall of a shop in the main bazaar fell on him. As a result, he died on the spot.

In the windstorm related incidents, at least 23 people were injured, five of them seriously, who were referred to the Ayub Medical Complex in Abbottabad.

The windstorm and rain also left several electricity poles of high and low tension and the main supply line damaged causing suspension of power supply to the entire district.

According to Said Ghafar Khan, the deputy manager of the Pesco Haripur division, his staff managed to restore the power supply to the major portion of the city.

He said the electricity was restored to the remaining areas on the next morning.

He said Pesco suffered a loss of millions in the windstorm as according to him several power transformers and other power supply system was badly affected.

The police cleared the roads of fallen trees that blocked Taxila Hattar Road and Abbottabad road for some time.

The thunderstorm accompanied by heavy rain killed two young sisters and a woman and injured six others in Swabi.

In Sairi village, Hizra Bibi, 14, and eight-year-old Rabigha Bibi were killed when their house collapsed during the torrential rain and thunderstorm.

The parents of the girls screamed for help but both sisters died before the arrival of people.

Haseena Bibi died in Panjpir when the boundary wall of her house collapsed during the thunderstorm.

Two people, Mohammad Islam and daughter of Mohammad Rafiq, were injured in Yar Hussain when the boundary wall of their house collapsed. Both were admitted to a nearby hospital.

Four people were injured in different regions of the district.

The district was without electricity at night and the Pesco staff was busy in the restoration of electricity.