SWABI, Feb 11: A large number of people have moved to safe places after dozens of mud-houses collapsed following continuous rain in the district, which has paralyzed life for the last six days.

In Sheikh Jana, the house of Malik Aman collapsed. His wife and two children were injured. Another house in the same area and two in Bamkhel collapsed. Yar Hussian Union Council Nazim Asfandyar Khan said 10 houses had collapsed in Dawlat, Mamtha, Masoodabad and other areas. He said one person was injured as the other houses had been vacated before they collapsed.

The staff of a number of schools have told students to stay at home till the rain stops. Roofs of classrooms in various schools have been leaking. The Government High School, Mansabdar, has been closed while the roofs of government higher secondary schools at Zaida, Khunda and Kernel Sher Kili, the girls' school in Maneri Bala, Chota Lahore, and a number of middle and primary schools are leaking.

The parents of the students have called upon the authorities concerned to close all the educational institutions in the area because their dilapidated buildings pose a threat to their lives.

The attendance of teachers and students in schools which have not been closed has also remained thin. "Two teachers have stayed at the school from Monday. It is difficult for them to reach home and return for their duty in such a weather," said the headmaster of a middle school.

The rain has also affected official work and business activities. The threat of spread of diseases among cattle and sheep in the district are also increasing. Power supply to various areas, including the district headquarters, remained suspended for hours.

Many people were seen purchasing plastic sheets for covering their roofs. Afghan refugees at Gohati and Gandaf camps have demanded that they should be shifted to safe places and it was dangerous for them to stay in their mud-houses. An official said empty buildings in the Gadoon Amazai Industrial Estate could be used for housing those who had to leave their homes because of the rain.