Six killed as rain plays havoc in KP, Fata

Published February 26, 2015
People put their lives in danger while standing on a damaged bridge to survey the havoc brought by the rain in Bannu area on Wednesday. — Dawn
People put their lives in danger while standing on a damaged bridge to survey the havoc brought by the rain in Bannu area on Wednesday. — Dawn

PESHAWAR: Six people, including three women, were killed and five others injured as heavy rains and hailstorm lashed different parts of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Federally Administered Tribal Areas on the night between Tuesday and Wednesday.

Some hilly areas also received snow that brought down the mercury level to a freezing point. Tourist resort Malam Jabba in Swat district received 82mm rain followed by Parachinar, Kurram Agency, where 72mm rain was recorded, said Met officials. Both areas also received moderate snowfall.

The rain and hailstorm was accompanied by thunderstorm and lightning, which caused panic among the people.

A police official said that a kitchen in the house of one Hakeem Shah in Mattani area of Peshawar collapsed, killing three women on the spot. He added that a woman, her daughter and daughter-in-law were killed in the incident.


River water damages bridge in Bannu, sweeps away 40 boats in Charsadda


The provincial capital received 28.3mm rain during the past 24 hours, while hailstorm hit some of the localities, including Hayatabad, on Tuesday night. Boundary walls of various houses in parts of Peshawar also collapsed due to heavy rain.

Also, rainwater submerged the main arteries of the provincial capital which caused heavy traffic jam. Students and office-goers got late to reach their institutions due to traffic snarls. Workers of Water and Sanitation Services, Peshawar, were called to clear rainwater and slush from the roads on Wednesday morning.

The downpour also caused suspension of power supply in different localities of the city and surrounding areas. A resident of Hayatabad said that electricity supply could not be restored even after lapse of 24 hours.

In Ghalanai, two children were killed when roof of a house collapsed due to rain in Khawajawas Kor of Haleemzai tehsil of Mohmand Agency.

Kifayatullah, a resident of the area, told Dawn that the roof of the mud-brick house of one Wahab Khan caved in after midnight, leaving his two teenage daughters dead and three sons injured. The rain also caused damage to standing crops in the area.

In Charsadda, at least 40 boats were swept away and several makeshift cabins of fish sellers destroyed in Sardaryab area on Wednesday after heavy rain in the highlands of Malakand division caused surge in the level of Kabul river.

Sardaryab is one of the major recreation places for the people of Charsadda, Peshawar and surrounding villages and districts.

In Landi Kotal, a man was killed and two children suffered injuries when the roof of a house collapsed in Malagori area of Jamrud tehsil, while flash floods swept away four vehicles in Landi Kotal tehsil.

Local people said that hailstorm and heavy rains lashed parts of Landi Kotal tehsil, while nearby mountains received snow.

In Bannu, a heavy current of floodwater washed away a portion of a bridge on the Kurram river here in the wee hours of Wednesday.

One Ameerullah told Dawn that a large portion of the bridge collapsed after heavy floods in Kurram river damaged the protection wall. The people of Surrani area of Bannu were cut off from the main town due to the bridge collapse.

In Swabi, hailstorm lashed the district and damaged standing wheat crop here on Wednesday. Farmers said that the hailstones accompanied by heavy rain lashed areas in Chota Lahor tehsil, Swabi, Razaar and Topi.

Published in Dawn, February 26th, 2015

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