PESHAWAR: Two people were killed and more than 44 suffered injuries when stormy winds blowing at the speed of 95 kilometres per hour and heavy downpour hit Peshawar and its surrounding districts on Wednesday.

Speedy winds smashed down trees, billboards, electricity cables, boundary walls and roofs of gas stations in different localities of the provincial capital that caused injuries. The storm also caused major power breakdown in the city.

Powers supply remained suspended to 55 per cent areas of Peshawar after heavy rain and strong windstorm. A high transmission line at Board Bazaar area was snapped after roof of a nearby building collapsed and fell down on it.

Zulfiqar Babakhel, spokesman for Lady Reading Hospital, told Dawn that two dead bodies were received while 40 injured including 14 women were treated at the hospital’s emergency centre.

He said that several wounded persons were referred to wards after providing first aid to them. The deceased had been identified as Jehangir Khan, 27, and Omar, 2.

The local Met office said that winds were blowing at the speed of 95 kilometres per hour in Peshawar and 24 millimetres rain was recorded in 20 minutes. Rainwater submerged roads and streets and also inundated low lying areas.

Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) had already issued weather alert and predicted pre-monsoon rains. The authority had directed district administrations and all line departments to be vigilant and take precautionary measures to cope with the situation.

Rescue 1122 said that storm blew up roofs of 14 houses in Peshawar and Mardan. Rescue 1122 spokesman Bilal Faizi said that Bashirabad, Academy Town, Lahori Gate, Kohat Road, Charsadda Road, Faqir Kallay, University Town, Hussain Chowck, Hayatabad and Patang Chowck were the affected areas and rescue teams brought wounded people to hospital.

Storm also caused widespread damage to power transmission lines in Peshawar and other parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Trees fell on transmission lines that damaged electricity cables and poles. The branches of trees fell on the roads that caused traffic jam.

Peshawar Electric Supply Company spokesman Shaukat Afzal said that total 408 feeders across the province including 220 in Peshawar had tripped that caused power breakdown in urban and rural areas. He said that field staff immediately restored 40 feeders in Peshawar and complete restoration of electricity would take time.

The Pesco spokesman said that power supply to different areas of Peshawar disrupted owing to uprooting of trees and huge signboards which damaged power transmission lines in many areas. He said that repair work was underway but it would take some time to restore electricity to the affected areas. He said that power supply would remain suspended to the affected areas for time being. He urged the consumers to cooperate with Pesco staff.

Heavy rain brought mercury down and people took sigh of relief. Weather turned pleasant as rains lashed Peshawar valley. Parts of Hazara division including Mansehra received heavy shower.

In Mardan, four persons were injured in storm-related incidents.

Officials said that 55-year-old Bibi received injuries when wall of her house collapsed in Akbarabad area of Mahu-Dheray village. They said that wife and daughter of Asif were also injured in a wall collapse incident in Shahbaz Gari area. They said that Waqar Ahmad received multiple wounds when wall of his house collapsed in Ghulamu area on Katlang Road.

The Rescue 1122 officials said that all the injured were rushed to Mardan Medical Complex for treatment. The doctors declared condition of Asif’s wife critical.

Published in Dawn, June 16th, 2016