SWABI/SWAT: Eight people were killed in two rain-related incidents in Swabi and Lower Kohistan districts on Thursday, taking death toll in the province to 50 during the last eight days.

Officials said that six people including five members of a family were killed and four others received injuries when two houses in far-flung area of Swabi collapsed due to heavy rainfall.

They said that the first incident occurred in Musa Banda, a village in Zaida union council, soon after midnight. They said that the deceased included three teenagers and a two-year-old boy.

Similarly, another house collapsed in Spinkani village in Razaar tehsil and members of the ill-fated family came under the debris.

The Rescue 112 teams reached the area and started rescue operation. They retrieved from debris the body of the owner of the house identified as Wali Zada, 65, and shifted two injured members of the family to district headquarters hospital.

CM pays visit to flood-affected areas in Swat

Due to high flood in Kundal Dam in Gadoon Amazai region of the district, Qadra Road was washed and the area was completely cut off from rest of the country.

In addition, six mud houses had collapsed a day ago but no casualty was reported as the dwellers had moved to a safer building.

In Lower Kohistan, two real brothers were killed and their grandfather suffered critical injuries when a house caved-in in Bankund area on Thursday.

“The bodies of the two children, buried under the debris, have been retrieved. Their grandfather, who has received critical injuries in the incident, has been rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment,” said Salam Khan, the district police officer of Lower Kohistan.

The owner of the collapsed house was identified as Sher Mohammad. The house collapsed due to heavy rain. The local people rushed to the scene after the incident and retrieved the bodies of Abu Baker, 6, and his younger brother Mohammad Yusuf, 4.

The report of Provincial Disaster Management Authority shows that Swat district has recorded 16 deaths, the highest number of casualties reported by any district, during the rain, which has started on August 25.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Mahmood Khan paid a visit to his native Swat district to inspect the destruction caused by the devastating floods and torrential rain.

Talking to journalists, he said that he was personally monitoring relief activities in the flood-hit areas. He added that government would help every affected person in the province.

Mr Khan said that compensation cheques were already handed over to the families of the dead and injured people in the recent floods. He appreciated the quick services provided by the relevant departments to people in the flood-affected areas and taking part in relief activities.

He alleged that the previous governments did nothing to protect rivers and streams. He said that previous governments ignored the large number of encroachments along the Swat River, its tributaries and the streams.

The chief minister said that the previous PTI government in the province constructed protection walls along the Swat River and the streams. He said that all the encroachments along the Swat River and the streams would be removed for which a proper operation would be launched.

Mr Khan said that compensation cheques would be handed over soon to those people, whose houses were destroyed. However, he added that the people, who had encroached upon the area along the Swat River, would not be compensated.

He said that all the roads were reopened to traffic after the floods and relief activities were underway. He said that people rejected other parties. He added that after inauguration of Bus Rapid Transit project in Peshawar, opposition could not raise finger at the PTI government.

Published in Dawn, September 4th, 2020