PESHAWAR: Four people were killed and 32 suffered injuries in rain-related incidents in parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Kurram Agency on Tuesday.

Also, a hailstorm caused severe damages to crops and orchards in the region.

The local police said two people died and six were injured in Swat district in separate natural calamity-related incidents.

Hailstorms damage crops, orchards

Shoaib, of Kahoo area, drowned in a flooded stream of Bishbanr area trying to cross it.

Heavy rain also triggered a landslide, which killed student Imad and injured two people in Gogdara area.

The incident occurred when the three were returning home from the school.

The injured students were shifted to the Saidu Sharif Teaching Hospital.

In another incident, three people were injured in Badar area and a woman in Kabal area when thunderstorms hit them. The torrential rain began across the valley on Monday night and continued intermittently.

Also in the day, two women were killed and eight were injured after a downpour-triggered landslide hit their houses in Derga area of central Kurram Agency.

A house collapsed in Mandori area injuring eight people, including women and children.

The local residents retrieved the injured people and shifted them to the hospital.

They also said a hailstorm damaged crops and orchards in upper and lower tehsils of Kurram Agency.

Several people, including a woman, were injured and some fell unconscious as they’re struck by lightning in Bisham area of Shangla.

The heavy rain coupled with thunderstorm continued for the second consecutive day in various parts of Shangla.

Doctors at the Tehsil Headquarters Hospital, Bisham, said several children and women were brought to the emergency from various parts of the tehsil with injuries caused in rain-related incidents.

In Buner, the pre-dawn lightning hit a house in Kooz Shamnal village of Chaghorzai area injuring three members of a family.

Among the injured were Maaroof, 55, Najeeda, 25, and Romia, 23, who were shifted to the District Headquarters Hospital, Daggar.

Heavy rain coupled with hailstorm was also reported in Charsadda turning the weather pleasant.

The hailstorm damaged standing crops and orchards.

The intermittent rain and snowfall continued on Tuesday across Gilgit-Baltistan.

The local people’s access to other parts of the country remained suspended due to the closure of the Karakorum Highway between Rawalpindi and Gilgit.

The Pakistan International Airlines cancelled many flights between Islamabad and Gilgit.

The Frontier Works Organisation, KKH, was hit by landslides in Keroo Nala area near Sazeen and Baha Nala in Daso area of Kohistan bordering Gilgit-Baltistan.

The Frontier Works Organisation employees kept clearing the road.

Also in the day, torrential rain continued in lower areas of Gilgit-Baltistan and snowfall in upper areas disrupting life.

Published in Dawn, March 14th, 2018