PESHAWAR: With the rain and snow battering Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for the sixth consecutive day on Saturday, at least 10 people were killed and 13 injured in separate incidents in different parts of the province.

The damage to public life and property was reported in Upper Dir, Khyber and Mardan districts.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department forecast more rain and snowfall in hilly areas of the province.

According to the relevant officials, six people, including four children, lost life in two incidents in Upper Dir district.

No damage to public life in Galiyat despite landslides

The roof of a house collapsed in Maina area early on Saturday killing a woman and her four children.

The deceased included house owner Israr’s wife and four children, including Musawera, 1, Ayan Khan, 4, Sudais, 7, and Ibrar, 12. The villagers retrieved the bodies.

Also, Dir Levies constable Fazal Muala was killed in his house, which was under construction, as a landslide triggered by torrential rains hit it.

He suffered injuries in the incident and lost life after reaching a local hospital.

An eight-year-old girl, Asiya, was killed and her five family members got serious injuries when roof of their room collapsed due to rain in Mulyano village of Takhtbhai tehsil in Mardan district.

Three people were killed and eight suffered injuries in rain-related incidents in Khyber district.

According to the district administration, a woman and her daughter were killed in a house collapse incident in Akkakhel area of Bara tehsil, while a minor boy was killed and his two family members were injured after the roof of their house collapsed in Chargai Dageeza area of the tehsil due to continuous rains.

Officials said similar incidents injured a woman and three minor children of her family in Sur Kas locality of Jamrud tehsil and a minor girl and a boy in Akkakhel area of Bara tehsil.

The intermittent rains partially damaged houses in Landi Kotal. Ziyarrai, Chinarona, Mukhtarkhel, Peerokhel and Enzari Top in the area received the first snowfall of the winter season on Saturday.

The roads leading to Tirah valley were closed on Friday night after four days of continuous snowfall, which forced the residents to stay indoors and caused a shortage of essential goods, including food.

Heavy snowfall and landslides caused the closure of several link roads in upper parts of Lower and Upper Dir districts.

Shangla district also received heavy snowfall on Friday night in upper parts of the district. Shangla Top, Yakhtangay, Ajmeer, Spen Ghar, Gamtal, Bahdar Sar, Kandaw and other upper parts received up to three feet of snow on Friday night which again blocked the main roads of the district.

The heavy snowfall and rain coupled with strong winds continued on Saturday afternoon increasing cold to the trouble of life.

In Mansehra district, tourists moved to Shogran and Kaghan areas after the closure of Murree and Galiyat roads.

The personnel of the police department and Kaghan Development Authority pushed vehicles stuck in snow in parts of the valley.

The tehsil administration of Balakot restricted the entry of tourists beyond Kawai area fearing landslides.

The tourists enjoyed snow in Shogran after the road leading to that resort was blocked.

Deputy commissioner of Swat Junaid Khan said all tourist resorts in the district, including Kalam, Malam Jabba, Bahrain and Gabin Jabba, were opened to tourists.

“We discourage small cars and vehicles without snow chains from going to Kalam and Malam Jabba as it is risky for them. However, 4x4 vehicles and those with chains on tyres are allowed to go there,” he said.

The DC said a special rescue team comprising officials of the relevant departments had been formed.

In a statement issued here, the administration of Hazara division said no casualty was reported in Galiyat.

It said a patch of 15-16km between Murree and Galiyat received 5-6 feet snow.

The administration said landslides were also reported at two places on the Murree-Galiyat road rendering the access of motorists to Murree difficult.

It added that two excavators were clearing the road.

The administration said it had stopped hotels in Galiyat area from allowing tourists to leave the premises until further orders.

Published in Dawn, January 9th, 2022