GUJRAT: As floodwaters started receding in Hafizabad, Rescue 1122 teams on Friday retrieved bodies of two more drowned men in different parts of the district where the river Chenab wreaked havoc during the last 24 hours.

With the recovery of the two bodies, the flood’s death toll across the Gujranwala region has climbed to 22. Of these casualties, 16 occurred in Sialkot district, four in Gujrat and two in Hafizabad district.

The two deceased men were identified as Khurram Shahzad of Kotli Anandan, Pindi Bhattian, and Samiullah of Kot Ishaq village, who drowned on Thursday.

The bodies were handed over to the families of the deceased. d in the floodwater on Thursday, officials say.

Two more bodies’ recovery takes flood death toll in Gujranwala region to 22

Meanwhile, the level of floodwaters receded in at least 68 villages of Phalia tehsil of Mandi Bahauddin district on Friday, while of around 150 flood-hit villages of Hafizabad, at least 40 have been cleared of the floodwater, the officials say.

They say that the floodwaters massively damaged standing crops, fish farms and livestock, besides houses and road infrastructures across the Gujranwala region, particularly in Sialkot, Narowal, Gujrat, Hafizabad and Mandi Bahauddin districts.

As per officials some 128 villages on both sides of the river were flooded in Hafizabad and Mandi Bahauddin districts, which further intensified due to breaching of a dyke near Qadirabad Headworks by the authorities, on the direction of the chief minister, to protect the barrage.

Meanwhile, Federal Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarrar and Punjab Transport Minister Bilal Akbar Khan visited various flood-hit villages of Hafizabad district, including Vanike Tarrar, Kohlu Tarrar, Tahli Goraya, Pindi Bhattian and Jalalpur Bhattian. MNA Saira Afzal Tarrar, DC Abdul Razzaq and some local PML-N lawmakers accompaniedthe ministers during the visit.

The Hafizabad DC briefed them on the losses caused by the flood, as well as the rescue and relief operations in the district.

Federal Minister Chaudhry Salik Hussain and his brother Punjab Industries Minister Chaudhry Shafay Hussain also visited the flood-affected areas of Gujrat district.

Sources in Phalia Tehsil say that the affected people are badly in need of clean drinking water, milk and food items, besides fodder for their cattle heads.

Gujrat administration says they were providing food hampers to the affected people in 77 flood-affected villages of the district, with the help of philanthropists.

The sources say that most of the affected families are not residing in the officially established relief camps as they preferred to stay with their relatives and friends in safe areas after being evacuated from their homes. Most of the families have left some of their male members who are looking after their livestock, which have been moved to higher ground along roads.

In Gujrat, the civic agencies are still trying to flush out rainwater from places like the Aziz Bhatti Shaheed Teaching Hospital (ABSTH), Zahoor Elahi Stadium, district jail and the official residences of the deputy Commissioner and the district police officer.

Published in Dawn, August 30th, 2025