At least 19 people including 14 of a same family were killed and several others wounded in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province as heavy rains coupled with lightning and thunder continue to lash many parts of the country.
The latest downpour spell began on Saturday night and continued till the early hours of Sunday, destroying the three mud houses in KP’s Torghar village, officials said. At least 14 people died and two other were injured when lightning struck three houses of Union Council Jhatka Amlook Tehsil Jadba district Torghar.
According to police, the incident took place late Saturday night when a cloudburst coupled with a thunderstorm and lighting triggered a flash flood and at the same time lightning struck three houses where the families of two brothers and a neighbour were residing.
Fourteen people died on the spot while police and locals recovered the dead bodies of 11 people and they were searching for the other three persons. The injured were including a minor and a lady.
The bodies recovered from the debris were identified by police as Shahzad Omer son of Said Omer, Shah Nawaz Khan, son of Shahzad, Gul Ladina Bibi, Alaf Said wife of Gul Malook, Anwar son of Sheeraz, minor girl Asia Bibi, teenage boy Bakht Nawaz Khan, teenage girl Bakht Raz, minor girl Rubina Bibi and minor girl Umaira Bibi. The deputy commissioner later announced Rs300,000 compensation for each victims of the family and also assured help for the injured persons.
In another incident which took place in Abbottabad’s Balolia village, at least five people died due to landslide. Locals told the police that six members of the family of Muhammad Tufail were sleeping in their mud house when a huge boulder fell on their house owing to the landslide. As a result, five people died on the spot. A six-year old girl survived luckily
KP Assembly Speaker Mushtaq Ahmed Ghani Sunday visited the site of village Paijo, Kakool, district Abbottabad. He expressed profound grief and sorrow over the loss of precious human lives in the incident.
In his condolence message to bereaved families, the Speaker expressed heartfelt grief and sorrow over the sad demise of 35-year-old Tulfail, his mother, wife and two minor daughters.
Chief Minister Mahmood Khan directed rescue agencies and district administration to reach the affected area immediately and start emergency relief operations in District Torghar area where lightning killed 14 persons.
The Chief Minister also expressed deep sorrow and grief over the loss of 14 precious human lives in the incident. Heavy rains wreak havoc in Torghar district of Mansehra Hazara division wherein three houses collapsed due to cloudburst during heavy rains. A total of 14 people buried under the rubble of a house in Mansehra
According to officials of the Rescue 1122, the roof of a house collapsed due to a landslide in Payjo village near Kokol, Abbottabad. Two ambulances of Rescue 1122 Abbottabad along with medical technician, rescue vehicle and recovery vehicle along with rescue and disaster team reached the affected areas and started relief operations. The Rescue Official initially recovered seven people buried under the roof of the house.