PESHAWAR/QUETTA: Landslides triggered by heavy rains in the hilly region on the border of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa swept mud and rocks into several areas on Sunday, damaging vehicles and blocking a highway connecting the two provinces.

In Peshawar, a mother and her daughter were killed, and her husband and two children were injured when their house collapsed in the wake of torrential rains.

The N-50 highway — running from the KP’s Dera Ismail Khan city to Balochistan’s Kuchlak town near Quetta via Zhob — was blocked in the wee hours of Sunday after torrential rains caused landslides in the area at Dhana Sar and Manikhawa locations at the junction of both provinces, leaving several vehicles stranded.

Dera Ismail Khan’s deputy commissioner Arshad Mansoor said torrential rains set off landslides in the area at Dhana Sar Mountains, blocking the highway.

He said work was under progress using heavy mach­i­nery to restore traffic. However, traffic will rem­ain closed for about 24 hours. The administration has also warned citizens not to travel on the highway.

Officials in Balochistan confirmed that more than one kilometre part of the highway was blocked as a large bounder and mud covered the road.

Agha Inayatullah, National Highway Authority’s general manager for the Balochistan-North region, said that despite difficulties in removing the bounders and mud from the road, a small alternative route was opened for small vehicles.

However, opening the road for all kinds of traffic would take at least 36 to 48 hours if there were no more rain, he said.

The highway’s closure has disconnected traffic to various KP cities, including Dera Ismail Khan, Peshawar, Swat, Mardan, Charsadda and Nowshera, with various cities of Balochistan, including Quetta and Zhob.

Woman, daughter killed

The woman and her daughter killed in Peshawar were the residents of the Mashowkaraa area in the jurisdiction of Badaber Police Station, according to a report shared by the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA). They were identified as Riyasata, 55, and Reshma, 22.

The owner of the house, Misri Khan, 65, and his two children — Samreen and Yaseen — were injured.

A Badaber Police Station official told Dawn that the house collapsed early Sunday morning when the occupants were sleeping. Both women died on the spot, the official said.

More rains expected

Meanwhile, the Met Office has predicted more rains along with wind and thunderstorms with isolated heavy falls and hailstorms from Sunday to Wednesday in many northern parts of the country.

It said another westerly wave was likely to enter western parts of the country from Sunday night and likely to intensify in upper parts on Monday.

Strong winds and hailstorms may damage some infrastructure and standing crops. Landslides may also occur in vulnerable areas during the forecast period.

Under the influence of this weather system, the rain-wind/thunderstorm with isolated heavy falls and hailstorm is expected in various areas of Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.

In KP, showers are expected in Peshawar, Charsadda, Nowshera, Swabi, Mardan, Bajaur, Kurram, Waziristan, Kohat, Karak, Bannu, D.I.Khan, Chitral, Dir, Swat, Mansehra, Buner and Kohistan areas.

Besides Islamabad and Rawalpindi, rain has been forecast for Attock, Chakwal, Jhelum, Mian­wali, Sargodha, Gujran­wala, Gujrat, Hafizabad, Sialkot, Narowal, Lahore, Faisalabad, Toba Tek Singh, Jhang, Kasur, Sheikhupura, Nankana Sahib, Sahiwal, Multan, D.G. Khan and Bahawal-nagar in Punjab. Isolated rains and thunderstorms are also expected in Quetta, Zhob, Barkhan, Qila Saifullah, Qillah Abdullah areas of Balochistan.

Muhammad Ashfaq in Peshawar, Nisar Ahmad Khan in Mansehra, Muhammad Irfan Mughal in D.I. Khan, Aamir Yasin in Rawalpindi and Saleem Shahid in Quetta contributed to this report

Published in Dawn, April 3rd, 2023