LANDI KOTAL: Twenty-seven people, among them eighteen children and seven women, were killed when a vehicle carrying a wedding party was washed away by flash floods in the remote Bazaar-Zakhakhel area of the Khyber tribal region on Saturday.

According to local administration officials, the wedding party from the Zaodin Zakhakhel tribe was returning from the Khasrogo area of Bazaar-Zakhakhel to Aanee village in Barra Bara, bordering the Tirah valley, early in the morning after an overnight stay at the bride’s home.

When their two vehicles reached Sra Shagga stream, they were trapped in flash floods caused by overnight heavy rains in adjoining areas.

“One of the vehicles carrying the bride and relatives of the groom managed to cross the overflowing stream but the other got stuck in the middle and was eventually washed away by the gushing floodwaters along with 29 of its occupants,” Hikmat Afridi, a Khasadar line officer, told Dawn.

Eighteen children, seven women and two men died in the accident. Two children were rescued by local residents, Mr Afridi said and added that a Khasadar rescue team was sent to the place immediately after the news about the incident was received.

Khyber Agency Political Agent Khalid Mehmud announced a compensation of Rs300,000 for each dead person and Rs100,000 for the injured.

Assistant Political Agent Rahim­ullah Mehsud said the bodies of three children and five wom­en were sent to Zaodin Zakhakhel, while the rest were buried in the Matrey area of upper Tirah.

GRENADE ATTACK: Two people were killed and six others injured in a grenade attack on the house of a government official in the Akkakhel area of Bara on Friday night.

According to officials, some construction workers were sitting in the guesthouse of Maweez Khan, an employee of the Fata Secretariat, along with his family’s members when men on a motorcycle hurled a hand grenade at the building.

Two people were killed on the spot, while six others were injured; the condition of one of whom was stated to be critical.

Khasadar personnel cordoned off the locality and carried out a search operation after the incident. However, no arrest was reported. The incident spread fear am­ong the local people, most of whom have recently re­­turn­ed to their homes after remaining away because of security problems.

Published in Dawn, July 31st, 2016