PESHAWAR: Four people were killed and 14 others injured in rain-related incidents as rain and snowfall lashed Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Thursday.

In Bajaur tribal district, two people were killed and five others wounded when their house collapsed, local people and officials said.

The incident took place in Tarkhoo area of Mamond tehsil at about 5am.

Several roads blocked after fresh spell of rain, snowfall in Shangla

They said that the family members were sleeping in their mud house when it collapsed, leaving two of them dead. They were identified as Bakhtira Bibi and her daughter Alina. An administration official who visited the area told Dawn that the mud house was badly affected by the current spell of rain.

According to officials in Mohmand tribal district, one woman was killed and another person injured as veranda of a house collapsed in Darwazgai area of Ekkaghund tehsil. The area has received downpour.

Another incident was reported in Swabi where a worker was killed when roof of a poultry farm caved in due to excessive rainfall in Razaar tehsil. The victim was identified as Murad Ali.

Eight passengers were injured when a commuter vehicle slipped on a snowy road and fell into a ditch in Orakzai tribal district.

Two of the wounded are stated to be in critical condition. Officials said that the injured were referred to Kohat and Peshawar for treatment. Snow and heavy rain continued to lash the entire district.

Moderate snowfall and heavy rain have been reported from different areas of the province, which brought down the mercury level to a freezing point.

The Met office said that Malamjaba in Swat received 15-inch snow followed by Parachinar where five-inch snow was recorded. Kalam hill station in Swat received four inches of snow.

According to the Met office, Peshawar received 22mm rain, Malamjaba 32mm, Dera Ismail Khan and Parachinar 27mm, Risalpur 24mm and Bannu 20mm. The rain which started on Wednesday night continued unabated on Thursday.

In Shangla, a fresh spell of snowfall in upper parts and rain in lower areas of Shangla increased intensity of the cold weather besides blocking roads and resulting in power suspension.

The heavy snowfall started on Wednesday evening and continued till Thursday evening.

The upper parts of Shangla, including Yakhtangay, Ajmeer, Shangla Top, Kandaw, Speen Ghar, Gamtal and other hilly areas, have so far received snowfall of up to 7 feet.

The snowfall again blocked Alpuri-Puran road at Yakhtangay, Bisham-Swat road at Shangla Top, Karora-Chakesar road at Kandaw and Shahpur-Ajmeer road at Pirkhana, which had increased miseries of the commuters.

Published in Dawn, February 1st, 2019