PESHAWAR: With the rain lashing Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, two people were killed and six injured in house and roof collapse incidents in different districts.

The Rescue 1122 said two deaths were reported in Mardan, while three people were injured in Peshawar, two in Mardan and one in Bajaur.

According to it, a woman and her one-year-old son were killed in Kohi Barmool area of Mardan district’s Katlang tehsil after the roof of a room in their house collapsed on them.

After the incident, the rescue workers shifted the two with multiple injuries to a hospital in Katlang tehsil but the doctors declared the woman and his one-year-old son, Umar, dead.

The woman’s husband, Waqar, and his another son, 3, were injured. They were under treatment.

Snowfall damages crops in Hazara division

Also in the day, aman was injured after his house collapsed near Adil Chowk in Khar townof Bajaur tribal district due to torrential rain, first of the winter season.

The rescue workers identified the injured as Khanzada, 56, who was under treatment at a local health facility.

In Peshawar’s Mankarao and Swati Phattak areas, three people suffered injuries in rain-related incidents.

The Rescue 1122 said a 35-year-old woman was injured after the roof of her house collapsed in Swati Phattak area, while a roof collapse incident injured two women in Mankarao area.

Meanwhile, the police in Mansehra district stopped movement of vehicular traffic between Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan and closed their checkposts in Kaghan valley until next the summer season following snowfall.

Balakot deputy superintendent of police Siraj Khan confirmed the closure of checkposts in Ghatidas, Barawai, Basal and Battakundi areas and said vehicles weren’t allowed to move beyond Naran Bazaar due to heavy snowfall.

He said the Mansehra-Naran-Jalkhad Road had been closed for the safety of people travelling between KP and GB.

The residents of Kaghan valley’s upper parts, including Battakundi, Bassal, Barawai and Naran, began moving to summer destinations to escape the imminent harsh winter weather.

They said the valley beyond Kaghan town remained buried in snow bringing life a complete halt until next April.

Kaghan Development Authority assistant director Asad Shahzad said though most Kaghan families had already moved to Garhi Habibullah, Balakot and other parts of Hazara division, those waiting for the harvesting of their crops, too, had begun leaving their houses after the snowfall.

The rain fell in Mansehra and other parts of Hazara division for the second consecutive day turning the weather chilly.

The first snowfall of the winter season was reported in the mountainous areas of Upper and Lower Kohistan, Kolai-Palas and Torghar districts.

The residents complained that snow, hailstorm and torrential rain damaged guava crop, green fodder and vegetables besides causing severe cold.

Naveed Khan toldDawnthat he had acquired an orchard with 30 trees against the payment of Rs450,000 but the harvest days neared, the stormy weather had threatened his investment.

Khan Zaman of Orakzai tribal district said the rains promised good hemp, persimmon, pomegranate and apple production.

Heavy rains were also reported in Kohat division, especially Kohat, Darra Adam Khel, Hangu, and Orakzai districts.

The Met Department forecast widespread rains coupled with strong winds and thunderstorm as well as snowfall on Sunday in Chitral, Lower and Upper Dir, Malakand, Swat, Buner, Shangla, Kohistan, Battagram, Torghar, Mansehra, Haripur, Abbottabad, Swabi, Mardan, Bajaur, Mohmand, Khyber, Peshawar, Charsadda, Nowshera, Kohat Hangu, Orakzai and Kurram districts.

It said during the last 24 hours, Peshawar city recorded 30mm of rainfall, Kalam 26, Cherat 22, Bajaur 15, Kakul 13, Malamjaba 11, Saidu Sharif 7, Chitral 6, Bannu 5, Drosh 04, Balakot 3 and Mirkhani 2.

Published in Dawn, November 6th, 2022