CHARSADDA: Nine people were killed and seven others injured in roof collapse incidents due to heavy rains in Charsadda and Bajaur and Kurram tribal districts on Thursday.

In Charsadda, five people were killed and three others injured in two roof collapse incidents in Tangi tehsil as rain lashed the area in the wee hours of Thursday.

According to police and local residents, three people were killed and three children got injuries when roof of the mud house of Taj Gul caved in at 3am in Behram Dheri area of Tangi tehsil.

The deceased included Taj Gul, his wife and daughter. Gul’s three children were also injured in the incident who were taken to a hospital in Peshawar. The roof caved in when the family members were sleeping in the room. The neighbours took part in the rescue work and retrieved the bodies and injured from the debris.

In another roof collapse incident, Siad Lal and his five-year-old daughter Ruqiya died when roof of their house caved in due to excessive rain in Hafiz Ji Qilla locality of Charsadda.

KHAR: Three people of a family were killed and three others wounded when roof of a house caved in Inayat Kallay town of Bajaur tribal district owing to rain.

Officials and residents said that the incident occurred in Inayat Kallay bypass area in the small hours of Thursday. They said that family members of Stana Gul were sleeping in a room of their house when its roof collapsed.

“Six persons, including Stana Gul and his wife, were in the room when the incident occurred and all of them came under debris,” they said.

People of nearby houses retrieved the bodies and injured from the rubble. They said that Stana Gul, 56, his wife and daughter Kalsoom Bibi, 3, died on the spot, while three others identified as Sajida Bibi, 12, Sanaullah, 9, and Farmanullah, 5, were wounded.

The wounded were taken to the district headquarters hospital, Khar, where doctors said that condition of two of the injured was critical.

The residents said that head of the family was poor and asked the administration to provide financial assistance to the survivors.

When contacted, an official of the district administration confirmed the casualties, adding that the mud house was already weakened by the previous rain. Answering a question, he said the administration had decided to launch a survey to know about the houses damaged by the recent rains.

PARACHINAR: A woman was killed and her four-year old son injured when roof of their house collapse in Karakhela village of Kurram tribal district.

The injured child was taken to the district headquarters hospital, Parachinar, and his condition is stated to be stable now. The roof caved in due to heavy rains in the district.

Published in Dawn, April 19th, 2019