PESHAWAR: At least 10 people were killed and 18 others injured in rain-related incidents in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Sunday as the provincial government declared “extreme weather emergency” in the province till March 14.

The Provincial Relief, Rehabilitation and Settlement Department declared “extreme weather emergency” Saturday night across the province due to prevailing cold and wet weather that resulted in widespread torrential rains and heavy snowfall in northern districts. It said in a statement that the spell would continue for the next seven days.

Under the emergency plan, the deputy commissioners would reactivate temporary Panahgahs (shelters) in areas hit by torrential rains, heavy snow and drop in temperature.

The administration would provide food and shelter for the night, while those whose houses had been damaged would also be provided cooked food.

The heavy spell of torrential rains and snowfall had caused damage to private and public properties in 20 districts of the province. The Provincial Disaster Management Authority stated that six people were killed and eight injured on Sunday in Khyber, Swabi and Orakzai districts.

Rain spell likely to continue for seven days

Officials said that two children were killed and eight others injured when roof of a house collapsed due to excessive rain in Bara subdivision of Khyber tribal district.

Local police said that Salman, 13, and Maryam, 4, were buried alive while eight other members of the same family suffered injuries in the roof collapse in Dora Asghar Talab in Sipah area.

In Swabi, three people, including two young cousins, were killed in rain-related incidents on Sunday and over a dozen houses and several boundary walls collapsed due to continued rainfall.

In Lalbeg village, two children were sent for bringing fodder for animals from their rick in the field. As they were collecting straw, the rick (a large stack of straw) collapsed as it was weakened by excessive rain and buried the children.

When the two boys did not return home their parents rushed to the field and found them dead under the debris.

The children were identified as Ibrahim Khan and Waseem Khan, both about 12 years of age.

In the second incident, a house collapsed because of rainfall in Hareef village. As a result, owner of the house Sawar Khan was killed.

In addition, three Afghan children were injured when their houses collapsed in Gandaf refugee camp. The children were identified as Matiullah Khan, Rasool Khan and Hassan Khan. The boundary walls of five houses also collapsed at the camp.

In Mardan, three people were killed and five others injured in rain-related incidents in the district on Sunday. Rescue 1122 officials said that roof of house of one Bacha Gul collapsed in Gari Kapoora, killing a 35-year-old woman and her daughter Shumaila, 5. Two others, including Bacha Gul, 65, and Mohsina, 50, were injured in the incident.

In Lundkhwar area, roof of a house of one Sadiqul Haq collapsed, killing his son Hasnain, 8, while he himself received multiple wounds. Similarly, one Rehmat Ali and his wife were injured in another such incident in Pir Sadu area of Takhtbai.

In Hangu, an eight-year-old girl was killed when landslide struck two houses in Chappri area of Hangu district on Sunday. Torrential rains and snowfall had caused damage to houses in Hangu and adjacent Orakzai tribal district.

In Ghalanai, a 13-year-old girl died and two women were injured when roof of a room in the house of one Wasal Khan collapsed in Tamanzai area of Pandiali tehsil of Mohmand tribal district in the wee hours of Sunday.

In Kohat, uninterrupted rains played havoc in Boraka village where scores of goats were killed in a house collapse.

The mud house of a man, Ajab Khan, caved in due to continuous rains and killed his whole herd of 21 goats.

The PDMA said in a statement that 11 houses had been damaged completely and 87 partially in the rain-hit districts.

Main road at Chereian Begnother near Nathiagali and all link roads in Malacher area of Abbottabad district remained closed to traffic due to snowfall.

In Mansehra, the Karakoram highway was blocked at various points due to rains and snowfall in upper parts of Hazara division on Sunday. The traffic between KP and Gilgit-Baltistan also remained suspended at Karo and Gagan Nullah areas of Lower Kohistan early on Sunday.

In Shangla, several houses were damaged due to heavy rain and snowfall, while several roads remained blocked for the second consecutive day due to landslides.

In Khar, the district administration has launched a survey to assess the damage and losses caused by recent rains in the region.

Published in Dawn, March 9th, 2020