MANSEHRA, Aug 26: Rescue workers on Friday recovered a three-month-old infant alive from the debris in Kandia valley of Kohistan district 24 hours after flash flood triggered by heavy rain killed over 60 people.
Officials said that at least 64 people were killed and six others wounded in the flood which swept through two villages in the valley on Thursday. They said that 38 bodies had been recovered so far while rescue teams were searching for the others. Provincial Disaster Management Authority’s spokesman Adnan Khan told Dawn in Peshawar that rescue teams recovered an infant from the debris 24 hours after the disaster struck.
“The infant is in good health and local authorities have handed him over to the parents,” he said and added that relief goods were being sent from Peshawar to the affected area.
He said that the PDMA had engaged two helicopters to deliver relief items while the department concerned had been directed to construct a temporary track to establish communication link between Kandia and Dasu, Kohistan’s district headquarters.
The floods washed away 56 houses and left many families homeless. The officials said that 17 women, 18 men and 28 children had lost their lives in the disaster. Mohammad Iqbal, a resident of Sigloo village said that the rain coupled with thunderstorm caused the cloudburst at the mountain top of the village and within no time the gushing water rolled down heavy boulders that hit three small villages.
The district administration and teams of army started rescue and relief operation in the Sigloo, Baree and Richow villages on Friday morning.
Kohistan District Coordination Officer Imtiaz Ali Shah told reporters that as part of the relief and rescue operation teams of doctors and paramedics and police had been sent first to the affected villages.
He said that 300 packets of foods, medicines, quilts and blankets had been airlifted to the area for distribution among the victim families.
“We are on the ground following the tragedy and did whatever we could do for the affected families,” said Mr Shah.
He said that tehsildar of Dasu was present in the area to assess the damage and collect figures of the dead and missing people.
“As soon as he accomplishes his task the final figures in this regard will be released,” the DCO said.
