PESHAWAR( The COW News Digital)Torrential rains and flash floods over the past two days have left at least 18 people dead and several others missing across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan, prompting emergency responses and warnings of more rain to come.
According to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) statement on Wednesday, 13 fatalities have been reported so far in K-P 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 sustained injuries.
The PDMA’s preliminary damage report revealed that 19 houses were affected across the province, with 17 partially damaged and two completely destroyed.
The incidents were reported in the districts of Swat, Buner, Bajaur, Torghar, Upper Kohistan, Mardan, Kurram, Haripur, Mansehra, Upper Chitral, Malakand and Shangla.
Swat emerged as the worst-hit district over the past 48 hours, with flash floods and the collapse of a house claiming the lives of six children and one woman, while another woman and child sustained injuries.
In Buner, three fatalities were reported amid intense rainfall accompanied by thunder and lightning.
A woman and her child lost their lives after being struck by lightning, while an eight-year-old boy was swept away during the downpour. “The dead body has been recovered by the locals,” the PDMA confirmed.
Heavy rainfall in Bajaur led to another tragedy, where two brothers, aged 21 and five, lost their lives. “Their mother was successfully rescued while the bodies of both brothers were recovered,” the PDMA quoted the Bajaur Deputy Commissioner’s Office as saying.
Elsewhere, a woman died in Upper Kohistan and a child was injured in Torghar after the roof of a house collapsed due to persistent rain.
Meanwhile, the situation is equally dire in G-B as flash floods in the Babusar region continue to cause widespread devastation, with 10 to 15 people feared swept away and still missing.
The G-B government has urged tourists to immediately postpone travel plans to the region.
Speaking on a television program, G-B government spokesperson Faizullah Faraq confirmed that massive damage had occurred due to persistent rains and flooding. He said all stranded tourists on the Babusar route had been successfully rescued and were being provided free lodging in coordination with local hotel owners and the administration.
All routes to Naran and Kaghan remain closed, while the Karakoram Highway has been blocked at two major points, leaving thousands of travellers stranded. The Silk Route is open for small vehicles, and restoration work up to Bisham is underway at full pace.
