Heavy rains in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa kill nine, injure seven

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province’s Disaster Management Department (PDMA) announced Sunday that heavy rains have killed nine people and injured seven during the past 24 hours.

As per the PDM report, two people were killed in Swat, two in Battagram, four in Mansehra, and one in Buner.

The report further said seven people had been injured, including three in Swat, three in Battagram, and one in Mansehra.

The PDMA said nine houses had been fully damaged, while 67 were partially damaged.

On the instructions of the Relief Department, District Administration, PDMA, Rescue 1122, Civil Defence, and related institutions are on alert, a spokesman of the Relief Department said here.

Relief materials were provided to the affected families of Chitral Upper, and a detailed assessment of the damage will be started as soon as the flood waters recede in Lower Chitral, spokesman of the Relief Department added.

Sensitive communities in Chitral Lower had already been shifted to safer places with food items (dry ration) being provided to the affected families, and Dir Lower road has been cleared for traffic by the district administration.

The spokesman said that the district administration mobilized heavy machinery for the speedy restoration of the roads, and the road has been cleared for traffic at Koghuzi.

The district administration of Dir Upper has opened a one-way road.

The two-way rehabilitation of the road is in progress, he informed.

PDMA had issued a letter to all concerned institutions and district administration, giving on-the-spot instructions to take precautionary measures regarding rains, flash floods, urban flooding, and river flooding.

The Rescue 1122, Monsoon Mock Exercises, Preparation and Training in progress with Rescue 1122 is conducting evacuation training in boats to deal with the possible flood situation in monsoon, said Dr. Khateer Ahmed, Director General of Rescue 1122.

Rescue 1122 presented a practical model of exercises in the Kabul River in Nowshera, Dr. Khateer Ahmed said. People trapped in the Kabul River were also rescued by boats, the official of Rescue 1122 said.

DG 1122 said that Rescue 1122 also conducted a search by scuba diving and that Rescue 1122 is providing training to security agencies, civil defense, schools and colleges, and local people within the resources available across the province.