SHANGLA/SOUTH WAZIRISTAN: A child was killed, his mother and two others injured when a mud-roof collapsed due to heavy rainfall in the Opal area of tehsil Chakesar, on Monday night.

According to the administration of tehsil Chakesar, the family was asleep at night when the roof collapsed due to torrential rains. The administration, in its statement, said that the locals retrieved the trapped family members who were all buried underneath the debris.

It said the roof of Ali Rehman’s house collapsed, wherein his 5-year old boy was killed, while his wife and two other children were injured.

The injured family members were taken to the Rural Health Centre, Chakesar, which referred them to a hospital in Mingora, Swat, for better treatmen, the statement added. The residents on the occasion protested at the RHC Chakesar over the lack of life-saving drugs and shortage of doctors and paramedic staff in the health facility, which, they said, was a big problem for the local community.

They also sought financial support for the family as well as the best possible treatment to the injured.

Meanwhile, heavy downpour on Tuesday night triggered flash floods in remote area of Warai Noor in South Waziristan Lower’s Birmal tehsil, causing widespread destruction to homes, agricultural land and other infrastructure.

According to district administration officials, the floodwaters swept away at least five mud-built houses, several orchards, tube wells and fruit-bearing trees. The flood waters also devastated vegetable crops and entered residential areas, worsening the already flimsy living conditions of the local population.

A resident, Jan Mohammad, said that nearly every household in the area had been affected, with many forced to sleep under the open sky. “The flood didn’t just destroy homes but also washed away livelihoods. Our orchards, vegetables, and water sources have gone,” he said.

The district administration further revealed that a day earlier, two more houses and around 15 rooms were washed away by the flash floods.

The residents have made an urgent appeal to the national disaster management authority (NDMA) and the provincial disaster management authority (PDMA), calling for immediate compensation, food aid and shelter. They feared humanitarian crisis in case any delay in relief measures.

Published in Dawn, July 16th, 2025