LANDI KOTAL (Khyber Agency), Aug 17: Hundreds of telephone lines have been dead since Friday when heavy rain washed away a portion of the Kum Shalman telephone exchange in a remote area of the Khyber Agency.

Heavy rain and duststorm lashed the area, some 25 km from here, on Friday night as a result of which the 300-pair cable was rendered ineffective while part of the telephone exchange building was damaged when flood water entered its premises.

Karim Baz, a telephone operator at the exchange, told Dawn that the boundary wall of the exchange was washed away by floods last year but had not been repaired as yet as a result of which flood water entered the exchange building.

He said that his department had sent technicians to repair the damaged lines.

In Loe Shalman, some 35 km from here, a 100-pair telephone cable was also partially damaged as it was flooded by rain water.