SUKKUR, July 22: Two people were killed and more than 50 others injured when a flash flood entered the Head Bagh area of Balochistan in Jafferabad district, some 150 kms away from Sukkur, on Monday night.

A number of helicopters were sent from Islamabad to pick up the stranded people caught in the flash floods. People were being helped in at least 50 villages.

The helicopters were also providing help by dropping food and medical supplies.

The DCO, Jafferabad, Ilam Din Bullo, and the district Nazim, Mir Mohammad Khan Jamali, were supervising the relief work.

The DCO, Jafferabad, requested the Federal Government to send more helicopters, which would be sent on Wednesday morning.

He informed the Federal Government that thousands of people, including women and children were stranded in 41 villages.

The flood water entered the Head Bagh from upper Balochistan last night and the Mir Khan Jamali, Raees Mithal Khan, Ghulam Ali Khan, Jagrani, Booro, Admai, Bakhshal, Ghulam Mohammad Jamadar, Karim Bux, Waris Dayo, Eidbar Jamali, Ali Khan and Nooral Khan villages were inundated.

Official sources in Jafferabad said that only 41 villages had been flooded and at least 40 people, including women and children, had been injured due to walls and houses collapsing.

They claimed that volunteers and officials were busy in distributing food and medical supplies in all relief camps which were established on Tuesday morning near the flooded villages.

They said they were trying to stop the water by constructing a Kutcha Bund, and if they were unable to stop the water flow it could flood Usta Mohammad Town and its adjoining areas.

The bridge connecting Usta Mohammad to Jafferabad collapsed as it had been weakened after the rains and it could not bear the load of heavy traffic.

The sources said the water level is rising constantly and our first priority is to lift all the stranded people and shift them to relief camps.

An emergency has been declared throughout the district and all leaves have been cancelled.

DCO: The DCO, Jafferabad, Alim Din Bullo, told this correspondent on the telephone that the relief operation to help the stranded people was being hampered due to bad weather.

He said the helicopters had been sent on Tuesday morning to lift the people from about 50 villages.

He claimed that only two people were killed in the area, and not by drowning in the flash flood but rather they were struck by lightning.

He said, “We have no means to stop the water, which is flowing from Upper Balochistan via Khuzdar Kalat and Dhadar.”

He said the Kirthar is overflowing and the only option left with us is to drain out this water through rain culverts.

“We are trying to channel this water towards the Manchhar Lake through drain lines. We are trying hard to protect the embankments of the drains, while the water flow continues unabated.”

He said that the water had spread over a 300-sq-mile area and low-lying areas were the worst affected.