PESHAWAR, Aug 4: Cascading hill torrents and heavy rains swept away four people, including two children, while 10 people reportedly died after their houses collapsed in Malakand division in the NWFP and Skardu in the Northern Areas, officials said here on Friday.

Flash flood in Jandi nullah and river Swat killed two people and damaged a large number of houses in Charsadda district on Friday.

Overnight rains caused widespread damage in Swabi district, killing two children. Local resident saved two people after flash flood swept away four persons in the Sherdara village. Bodies of the children were recovered after some efforts.

People living near landslide-prone and low-lying areas have been warned to move away from potentially hazardous areas.

An Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) press release said that troops have already evacuated 300 people in Charsadda district and shifted them to safer places.

A police official in Charsadda said that surge in water level in Swat and Jandi nullah had caused devastations in the district.

Officials of the provincial irrigation department said that heavy rains in upper areas of the province had caused high floods in Swat, Chitral, Kunhar rivers and their tributaries, causing widespread damage to houses, crops and livestock.

Flash floods inundated farmlands in Charsadda, Peshawar, Noshera and Mardan districts.

According to the Hydrology Division, Indus River at Attock was flowing in medium flood with a discharge level of 375,700 cusecs. Swat River was flowing in very high flood at Monda, Khaili and Amandara.

Similarly, Chitral River was in very high flood with a discharge level of 42,900 cusecs. River Shah Alam and Jandi Nullah were flowing at very high flood level at Charsadda. The Kalpani nullah at Risalpur was in very high flood and its discharge level was 60,000 cusecs.

Officials said that Kunhar River was flowing at very high flood at Garhi Habibullah in Mansehra district.

Continuous rains and flash flood washed away a bridge over Salim Khan Badri. Heavy rains also caused damages in the Gadoon Amazai area, inundating various industrial units.

Shabara, Qazikhel, Mirzagan, Paindakhel and the Shairapian area in Charsadda city, Hajiabad in Umarzai and Saloorkhel, Kakar, Malikzai, Banda, Essazai in Turangzai area and Zaim and Muslimabad in the Tangi area were badly affected.

Reuters adds: Landslides and flash floods caused by torrential rains have forced some 6,000 survivors of last year’s earthquake to seek fresh refuge in camps, the UN refugee agency said.

Officials said people living in the quake zone in the NWFP and Azad Kashmir, were particularly vulnerable.

“We are expecting some 20,000 survivors in the quake affected areas in AJK and NWFP to be displaced because of rains and to seek refugee this monsoon season,” said Fatma Bassiouni, spokeswoman for the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNCHR) earthquake response unit.

“We are coordinating with the Pakistan agencies for this second wave of quake refugees in camps and to be prepared for this relocation,” she said.