PESHAWAR: The number of people killed due to heavy torrential downpour and flash floods in Khyber Pakhtunkhawa and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas rose to 17 on Saturday, DawnNews reported.

The dead included five children. Thousands are reported to have been rendered homeless.

Several people were still stranded in inundated areas even after the passage of 36 hours since the torrential rains started. Approximately 150 families perched on rooftops of their partially submerged houses awaited relief in Charsadda. The most affected areas also included Nowshera, Swat, Chitral as well as Peshawar, the provincial capital.

In the most recent incident, four people drowned in gushing rain waters in North Waziristan Agency, bringing the total death toll up to 17.

Meanwhile, flash floods continued to play havoc as they swept away Natwar Briodge which has disconnected Glaan Kot, Natwar and Adamkot from the rest of the areas.

Earlier, two young girls drowned in Budhni Nullah, three kids drowned in Chighor Nullah while another two people were killed in flash floods in Chitral.

Flash floods washed away a car while crossing a causeway in Bagh district in Azad Kashmir, killing three people while another man was drowned in a nearby village, a private news channel reported.

Moreover, two young men drowned in flood water in village Hajira near Rawalakot.

Following the havoc created by rains in Khyber Pakhtunkhawa, Peshawar, Chitral, Charsaddah and Nowshera have been hit hard along with others areas of KP.

Many areas remained cut-off after road links and suspension bridges were washed away in the province.

Budhni Nullah in Peshawar is expected to overflow with flood water sometime tonight and people living in Nowshehra and Charsadda have been issued a red alert and asked to move to safer locations.

So far, eight houses have been completely destroyed in Gulabad area while dozens have been partially damaged. Due to the overflow in Budhni Nullah, the road connecting Peshawar and Charsaddah has been submerged underwater.

In Chitral, Bonie Road was badly damaged by the flash flood. Over 120 houses and 60 shops have been damaged following the rains.

Meanwhile in Peshawar, on Friday, a rescue operation carried out by an Army team and Rescue 1122 staff managed to shift 35 families to a safer location from Warsak area.

Life boats are being used to transport the population from affected areas to safe locales.

Commissioner Peshawar Sahabzada Anis is supervising the rescue operation along with other high ups.