Peshawar:
Torrential rain and flash floods over the past two days have left at least 18 people dead and several others missing over Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan, causing emergencies and warnings of more rain to come.
According to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) declaration on Wednesday, it has been reported that there are so far fatalities in KP alone due to rain -related incidents in the last 48 hours.
Among the deceased are nine children, three women and one man. Three others, including two children and one woman, have caused injuries.
PDMA’s preliminary damage -report revealed that 19 houses were affected throughout the province, with 17 partially damaged and two completely destroyed.
The events were reported in the districts of Swat, Buner, Bajaur, Torghar, Upper Kohistan, Marran, Kurram, Haripur, Mansehra, Upper Chitral, Malakand and Shangla.
SWAT emerged as the worst hit the district in the last 48 hours, with flash floods and the collapse of a house that claimed six children and a woman while another woman and child sustained injuries.
In Buner, three fatalities were reported in the middle of intense rainfall accompanied by thunder and lightning.
A woman and her child lost their lives after being hit by lightning while an eight -year -old boy was swept away during the precipitation. “The dead body has been regained by the locals,” PDMA confirmed.
Heavy rain in Bajaur led to another tragedy where two brothers, 21 and five years, lost their lives. “Their mother was rescued successfully while the bodies of both brothers were recovered,” pdma Bajaur quoted -Vice Commissioner’s office.
Elsewhere, a woman died in Upper Kohistan and a child was injured in Torthar after the roof of a house collapsed due to persistent rain.
Meanwhile, the situation is equally serious in GB as Flash floods in the Babusar region continue to cause widespread destruction, with 10 to 15 people feared swept away and still missing.
The GB government has called on tourists to immediately postpone travel plans to the region.
When he talked about a TV program, GB government spokesman Faizullah Faraq confirmed that there had been huge damage due to persistent rain and flooding. He said that all stranded tourists on the Babusar route had been successfully saved and got free lodging in coordination with local hotel owners and the administration.
All routes to Naran and Kaghan remain closed, while Karakoram Highway has been blocked at two main points, leaving thousands of travelers stranded. The silk is open to small vehicles and the restoration work up to Bisham is in full pace.
Faraq appealed to citizens to refrain from traveling to GB until the situation stabilizes. He added that GB Chief Minister will visit the worst affected areas, including Babusar, to assess the damage and oversee emergency relief measures.
Meanwhile, the Director General of the Meteorological Department has warned of further intense rainfall in Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan in the coming days.
He called the loss of life on Babusar Top as tragic and warned that the weather can cause further destruction.
In diamer, the authorities have declared an emergency after five people lost their lives due to flooding water.
In the past, several tourists were swept away at Babusar Top, and rescue operations are still underway.
Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) also issued a warning for widespread rain winds/thunderstorms across the country Wednesday with the possibility of heavy to very heavy falls in different regions, triggers concerns about flash floods, floods of cities and soil.
According to the latest forecast, rain winds/thunderstorms are expected in Kashmir, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Islamabad, Punjab, Gilgit-Baltistan and Northeast Balochistan. Southern parts of the country mostly remain warm and humid.
Met Office has warned of potentially dangerous conditions tonight and throughout Wednesday. Heavy rain can generate the Flash River in local streams and nullahs in Chitral, Dir, Swat, Shangla, Mansehra, Kohistan, Abbottabad, Buner, Charsadda, Nowshera, Swabi, Martan, Murree, Galliyat, Islamabad/Rawalpindi, Hill Torrents of Dera Ghani Khani Khani Khan, Northeast Kashmir.
The city’s flood fears in low -lying areas of Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Lahore, Sialkot, Sargodha, Faisalabad, Okara, Nowshera and Peshawar due to heavy rain. Landslides and mud glids can cause road blocks in the vulnerable hilly areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Murree, Galliyat, Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan. Strong wind storms and lightning can damage weak structures such as roofs and walls of kacha houses, electric poles, advertising boards, vehicles and solar panels.
In Islamabad, partially cloudy weather is expected with rain winds/thunderstorms with chances of heavy falls.
I Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa forventes regnvind/tordenvejr i Chitral, Dir, Swat, Kohistan, Battagram, Mansehra, Abbottabad, Buner, Shangla, Swat, Malakand, Peshawar, Hangu, Kohat, Mardan, Kurram, Khyber, Orakzai, Ko, Kohat, Bannu, Karak, Dera Ismail Khan and Waziristan. Heavyfalls are probably in the top districts.
In Punjab, rain winds/thunderhower are expected in Rawalpindi, Murree, Galiyat, Chakwal, Attock, Sargodha, Khushab, Mianwali, Jhelum, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Sialkot, Narowal, Mandi Bahauddin, Hafizabad, Lahore, Sheikhupura and Shak.
Isolated rain winds/thunderstorms are also probably in Kasur, Jhang, Toba Tek Singh, Multan, Khanewal, Faisalabad, Layyah, Bhakkar, Dera Ghazi Khan, Sahiwal, Kot Addu, Taunsa Sharif and Surrounding Areas.
In SINDH, mainly hot and humid weather will persist in most parts, with partially cloudy conditions and chances of light rain or drip in coastal areas. In Balochistan, hot and humid weather is expected in most districts, while isolated rain winds/thunderstorms are probably in Barkhan, Kohlu, Musakhel, Loralai, Zhob, Kalat, Khuzdar, Lasbella and near areas. In Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan, partially cloudy weather is expected with rain-thunder shower along with heavy falls in some areas of Kashmir.
