July 24, 2007	Tuesday	Rajab 08, 1428

UPPER DIR, July 23: Rescuers retrieved four more dead bodies, including three children, from the rubble of houses in the Banria area on Monday that had collapsed in the recent spell of lightning and flash floods in the region.

Police, levies force, civil defence volunteers and locals continued their search and rescue operations and were provided with digging tools to retrieve the bodies.

A local nazim said that 44 bodies had been identified out of which three were mutilated beyond recognition. A body of a woman was recovered from River Pangkora at Timergarah, Lower Dir, some 70km downstream. Authorities believed that a number of bodies were still buried under the rubble of houses and rescuers were trying their best to dig them out.

The provincial government had requested the federal government for a rescue team equipped with detectors and deep-vision cameras but due to bad weather it could not reach the devastated district.

Only two persons, including a six-year-old girl, could be pulled out alive from the debris so far in the rescue operation.

District Coordination Officer Upper Dir Ajmal Khan said: “Food and medicines are being provided to victims and no stone is being left unturned to help the affected people.”

At least 30 tents and blankets had been handed out so far and the administration still had a large stock of relief items which would be distributed soon to the affected people, he said, adding that the number of people injured in the incident had risen to 22 and they were being given treatment at the camp set up in Usherai and the district headquarters hospital.

It may be noted that the district nazim, DCO, Executive District Officer Health Dr Nazir Ahmed and other officers visited the DHQ hospital following complaints of poor treatment and directed the hospital administration to take special care of the victims.

Palam Union Council Nazim Mohammad Ali confirmed that the victims were being given food, medicines, tents and blankets. The district government, he added, had given 20 tents, 25 blankets, ten bags of rice and ghee to the victims.

The Al Khidmat Foundation had provided 90 bags of flour and ghee. The nazim said the flash floods had also washed away standing crops, orchards and agriculture lands but the casualties in large number had overshadowed this side of the destruction. He said the death toll could rise further as scores of people inside a mosque at the time of the incident were still missing.