Swabi:
Flash floods triggered by a strong cloud of skyback and lightning hit the remote mountainous region of Gadoon-Amazai in the Swabi district, Khyber-Pakhwa (KP) early Monday, leaving at least 25 people died and 35 others wounded.
Whole villages were immersed as torrential waters swept home, livestock and infrastructure, adding the assembly of this year’s devastating monsoon season. “A cloudburst in Swabi completely destroyed several houses,” a district official told AFP.
According to the locals, the sudden wave of horrifying water destroyed dozens of houses in Dalori Bala, Sarkoi Payan and Karnal Sher Kallay villages and buried families under mud and rubble. “At least 40 people are still missing,” said a local resident.
Swabi -Vice Commissioner Nasrullah Khan confirmed that 20 people perished in Dalori Bala alone, with only 10 organs that were recovered so far. In Sarkoi Payan, two women and their children were swept away while a young man in Karnal Sher Kallay drowned in flood water.
Elsewhere, landslides buried vehicles in Bada Village, and several roofs collapsed in Kolagar. Causeway, which connects Topi with Marghuz and Zaida, was swept away, while electricity pylons and mobile communications networks crumbled under the power of the rain.
Two Pakistani Army Helicopters were sent to the surviving air lift, while rescue 1122 teams from Swabi, Marran, Nowshera and Haripur joined for operations. Tayyab Abdullah, Director General of Rescue 1122, reached Swabi to personally supervise the mission and deploy more than 90 employees, 13 ambulances, disaster cars, waters and special equipment.
Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) reported that the overall monsoon -death in KP had reached 341, including 222 in the Buner district alone. At least 178 others were injured and 420 houses were damaged.
Everywhere in the province, Torrential Rain triggered more floods and landslides that swept the whole settlements away. Relief work was hampered by continuous rain, with fresh magic forms that threatened more flash rivers in the coming days.
Buner, the hardest hit district, then 12 villages wiped out last week. “This morning forced fresh rain a stop for relief operations,” said volunteer Nisar Ahmad (31), who has dug through rubble to pick up bodies.
He added that 219 corpses had already been recovered. “Dozen more are still buried under mud and rocks and can only be recovered with heavy machinery. But the provisional traces we built to access the villages have been washed away again.”
Other affected districts include SWAT, Bajaur, Mansehra, Shangla, Lower Dir, Battagtram and the surrounding areas, PDMA said. “These extreme weather events have seriously affected society, leaving many displaced and with urgent need for help,” said a PDMA official.
Meanwhile, a stormy rainfall resulted in the collapse of a roof in the Pabbi Choky Mamrez area of Nowshera district and claimed a few lives. In lower DIR, continuous rainfall has caused currents and drains to flood, which significantly raises the water level of the Panjkora River.
Fear and desperation seized the survivors. Ghulam Hussain, 35, resident of Buner, remembered, “Although it is raining a little now, we feel scared. That day it started with light rain, and then people were suddenly swept away.” Food and water shortages have emerged as a serious problem.
“Many pets have also died in cloudburst, and their degrading bodies spread a bad smell,” Volunteer Ahmad warned. “Right now, our most urgent needs are clean drinking water, and I’m appealing to the government to give it.”
On the directives of Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, the KP government released RS3 billion for relief and rehabilitation – half of immediate help and half for repair of roads and communication networks.
Authorities also sent 89 trucks with tents, bedding, mosquito nets, food and essential things. Mobile hospitals, drainage pumps and emergency camps were created with more than 5,000 people saved so far.
At a high -level meeting, the minister of chief promised that all available resources would be mobilized for immediate relief and long -term rehabilitation. “The provincial government will not give up the people in this time of need,” he said.
Nationwide National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) reported that heavy monsoon rains have killed over 650 people and injured more than 920 since June. Preliminary estimates put compensation for public and private property of more than RS126 million.
Tarbela near full
Meanwhile, PDMA said the rain form would continue until August 21 The latest weather advisers emphasize that heavy rain is predicted for KPS Peshawar, Swat, Hazara, Mansehra, Abbottabad and Chitral Region. Moderate to heavy rain is also expected in Punjab and Sindh added it.
After continuous rainfall in KP, Gilgit Baltistan (GB) and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), the water level in the dams rises. The water level in the Tarbela dam rose to 1,547 feet and brought it within just three meters from its maximum capacity, officials said.
In the third consecutive day, the dam’s waste roads remained open to control the mounting pressure. According to the latest data, the influx of water of 345,000 CUSERCS is, while the outflow has reached 381,000 CUSSCS.
The Indus River at Tarbela is currently witnessing a flooding situation at the medium-sized level, although the authorities have warned that if the flood stern interests are given additional intensity, the water discharge could climb to 450,000 CUSCS.
In the case of rising waters, officials have advised Riverside Communities to show caution, while a complete ban on tourist visits to Riverbanks has been introduced to prevent accidents. Authorities continue to monitor the situation closely when the monsoon rains persist.
(With input from our Peshawar -Correspondent & AFP)
