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Published 05 Feb, 2013 03:06am

Six killed as rain plays havoc in KP

PESHAWAR, Feb 4: Rain on Monday lashed Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the adjoining tribal areas killing six people and injuring 15.

Weather pundits forecast more rain and snowfall.

Snowfall and landslide in the province has cut off many areas from other parts of the country.

A woman and her two children were killed, while another injured when roof of a room caved in at Sia Guro village of Talash in Timergara due to heavy rainfall. The injured was taken to District Headquarters Hospital in Timergara.

In another incident, a 12-year-old child was killed and two injured when roof of a room collapsed in Maidan area of Timergara. The injured were shifted to a local hospital.

Three soldiers were buried alive when an avalanche hit a security post in Binshahi area near Afghan border in Lower Dir.

Security forces began rescue operations to pull out the trapped soldiers. The border areas of the district received heavy snowfall.

One person was killed an another wounded in Landi Kotal tehsil of Khyber Agency, while a women died and two other members of his family suffered injures when their house collapsed in Karak district. Landi Kotal town received snowfall for the second time in the season.

A house collapsed in Budhni area of Peshawar injuring nine people, including children. The injured were shifted to Lady Reading Hospital.

Another house collapsed in Shah Qabool area of the city but the residents remained unhurt.

The continuing rain also created terrible problems for the internally displaced families in Jalozai camp, Nowshera.

The IDPs spent the entire night plugging holes in their tents. Most of the IDPs were later shifted to tent schools in the camp to spend night.

The Met Office has recorded 109 millimetres rain in Peshawar, 50mm in Bannu, 153mm in Risalpur, 151mm in Saidu Sharif, 171mm in Charat, 35mm in Balakot, 49mm in Chitral, 120mm in Timergara, 85mm in Drosh, 51mm in Kalam, 92mm in Patan, 61mm in Kohat and 148 in Malam Jabba during the last 36 hours.

Heavy rains and snowfall paralyzed life in many areas of the province and the adjacent tribal areas. Heavy snow accumulated on main and link roads in parts of Malakand and Hazara divisions during the last 24 hours bringing vehicular traffic to a standstill.

Reports coming in from various places said many valleys in Abbottabad, Swat, Mansehra and Shangla districts have cut off from the rest of the country due to heavy snowfall and landslides. Inclement weather also damaged power supply and telecommunication lines.

Thandyani, a hill resort in Abbottabad, received more than three feet snowfall, while the road to the area has been blocked beyond Kalpani.

The main road linking Abbottabad with Murree has been closed to traffic at Bagnoter and Kala Bagh, the Pakistan Air Force base in the hilly area.

The Met Office in Peshawar said Malam Jaba and Kalam in Swat Valley had received 42.5 inches and 25.5 inches snow during the last 24 hours.

Traffic has been suspended on the main road linking Mingora with Kalam due to snowfall.

Upper Dir received eight inches and Drosh in Chitral 11 inches of snow. Snowfall has also been reported in Samar Bagh, Maidan, Khall, Talash and Maskini of Lower Dir district.

Traffic remained jammed in Talash after water from overflowing stream blocked Chakdara-Timergara Road for more than four hours. Thousands of commuters and motorists suffered badly due to the traffic jam.

Heavy snowfall disrupted communication system in a major part of Shangla district. Roads remained blocked after the area received snow.

The snowfall began on Sunday and continued on Monday. More than three feet snowfall has been recorded at Shangla Top and Uakh Tangey Top.

Officials in the deputy commissioner office told Dawn that machinery had been sent to clear link roads of snow.

They said widespread rain had caused damages to the houses across Karak district.

The officials said rooms and boundary walls of several houses collapsed due to rain.

They said in Latamber area, 13 rooms of different houses collapsed as the rain continued in the area.

Life in Buner district, too, remained paralysed as rain lashed the district for hours. The hilly areas of Buner also received heavy snowfall.

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