PESHAWAR: Heavy downpour lashed Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Monday while areas like Malam Jabba and parts of Malakand division received light snow during the last 24 hours, local Met office said.

A commuter vehicle heading from Lower Dir district to Peshawar skidded off the road near Malakand tunnel due to heavy rain which resulted in death of two passengers. Three others suffered fatal injuries in the accident.

Officials of Rescue 1122 said that the wounded passengers were shifted to a hospital in Dargai.

The rain broke the long dry spell in the region in the province. Provincial Disaster Management Authority said that the rainfall would continue till Tuesday.

The administration in the disaster prone areas of the province has been advised to mobilise heavy machinery including bulldozers and excavators to keep all the roads open to traffic.

Malam Jabba, a famous ski resort in Swat district, received two inches snow and the temperature plunged to one degree Celsius. An official of Met office said in Peshawar that Kalam was the coldest area in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa where minimum temperature was minus 2 degree centigrade.

He said that total 50 millimetres rain was recorded in Malam Jaba during the last 24 hours. He said that more rain and snowfall were expected during the next 24 hours. Weather turned chilly in Swat after the fresh spell of snowfall in the hilly areas that started on Monday.

According to Met office, snowfall in Kalam, Matiltan, Ususho, Mahodand, Utror, Gabral and other upper parts of Swat valley turned the weather cold.

It said that rain continued for the second consecutive day in the lower parts of Swat including Mingora where temperature plunged to 7 degree Celsius. It added that the spell of rain in the plains and snowfall in hilly areas would continue till Tuesday.

The downpour started in the provincial capital on Monday morning that continued throughout the day. Met office recorded 7 millimetres rain in Peshawar. University Road remained inundated due to heavy rain, causing disruption in smooth flow of traffic.

Heavy and light rain has also been reported from southern districts of the province.

Parachinar, the headquarters of Kurram tribal district, received 24 millimetres rain and heavy snow blanketed the valley in the foothills of Spine Ghar (White Mountain).

The upper parts of Shangla district received snowfall and rain in plain areas, blocking link roads due to landslide.

Two motorcyclists were injured after they were hit by landslides in Lilonai area of Shangla.

The rain in Shangla continued for third consecutive day. The rain lashed Bisham, Alpuri, Puran, Martung and Kana tehsils of Shangla while upper parts of the district received snowfall.

Karakoram Highway, which was blocked in Upper Kohistan due to landslide, was reopened to traffic on Monday.

The rain, which started in Mansehra, Torghar, Upper Kohistan, Lower Kohistan and Kolai-Palas on Sunday, continued interdentally for the whole day in Hazara division, turning the weather cold.

The passengers, who were stranded following blockade of Karakoram Highway in Upper Kohistan, left for their respective destinations in the country following reopening of the road to traffic after hectic efforts of several hours by the district administration.

Published in Dawn, March 23rd, 2021