F.P. Report
PESHAWAR / LAHORE: Provisional Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) on Saturday reported 25 killed and 145 injured and 69 houses were partially damaged due to heavy wind, rain and storm in Bannu, Lakki Marwat and Karak districts.
Secretary Relief Abdul Basit said that Rescue 1122 and district administrations search and rescue operations are ongoing as all the injured are being shifted to the hospital before providing medical aid on the spot.
He said that Rs40 million has been released for Bannu district on priority basis. He said that all the affectees will be treated under government policy. Giving much updated details, Director General Rescue 1122, disclosed that the number of dead due to heavy rain, strong wind and storm in Lakki Marwat, Karak and Bannu was reported with 12 people were killed in Bannu, three in Lakki Marwat and 2 in Karak, Director General Rescue 1122 said.
He said, more than 60 people were injured due to wind and storm and most of the accidents occurred due to collapsed roofs and walls. The number of injured has increased to more than 60, Director General Rescue 1122 said. There were unconfirmed reports that more than 85 were injured.
He said the victims including children and women with relief operations of Rescue 1122 are ongoing in Karak, Bannu and Lakki Marwat. Roofs and walls of houses collapsed in various incidents, said Director General Rescue 1122.
He said, earlier, two children and a woman of the same family died in Lakki Marwat and more than 60 others were injured. The official of Rescue 1122 said that all stations of Rescue 1122 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are on alert. Dr. Khateer Ahmed, Director General Rescue 1122, directed the official to keep a vigilant eye on any untoward incident. He said relief activities continued as due to heavy rain, roof collapses occurred at many places in Lakki Marwat, Karak and Bannu. He disclosed that Rescue 1122’s search and rescue operations are ongoing as all the injured are being shifted to the hospital before providing medical aid on the spot.
In Punjab, three sisters died in a rain-related incident in the Khushab area while a man was killed in Wazirabad. The deceased are identified as 13-year-old Sattaran Bibi, 10-year-old Manzar Batul and seven-year-old Kashf Bibi.
The tragedy took place in a Noorpur Thal village where the girls took refuge from heavy rain beside a wall that collapsed. Separately, heavy rains coupled with strong winds battered several parts of Punjab including Sargodha, Gujranwala, Faisalabad and other districts.
In Dera Ghazi Khan, thunderstorm injured one person and injured 15 who were being shifted to the district headquarters hospital and emergency was imposed in all hospitals of the area. Rescue 1122 DG said relief operations were underway in the affected areas and injured were being shifted to the hospitals. At least 10 people were injured in rain-related incidents in Gujranwala district.
Reportedly, Nowshera Virkan, Wazirabad and adjacent areas too received heavy rain. Earlier in the ongoing week, rain-related incidents claimed three lives in Lahore and parts of Punjab. Two PIA flights could not land due to bad weather in Lahore PK 760 coming from Jeddah was diverted to Multan while PK186 coming from Sharjah was diverted to Faisalabad.
Earlier, at least nine people were killed as heavy rains lashed Hyderabad and other Sindh areas in the past 48 hours, with gusts of winds, hailstorms and lightning piling misery on people. The twin cities of Hyderabad and Kotri received heavy showers and hailstorms the size of golf balls damaging several vehicles and windows in Hyderabad’s SITE area. Gusty winds uprooted trees and damaged vehicles.
In Kotri City, the heavy rainfall killed three children and seven other people injured. Police said the children were playing when the wall came crashing down, leaving them dead on the spot.
Meanwhile, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Caretaker Minister for information, Auqaf, Hajj, religious and minority affairs Barrister Feroze Jamal Shah Kakakhil expressed regret over the loss of life and property caused by the heavy rain and storm in various districts of the province on Saturday evening.
The minister expressed condolences and heartfelt sympathy to the bereaved families. He said that rescue and relief activities are going on rapidly in the affected districts while the damage is being assessed. Feroz Jamal Shah Kakakhel said that Caretaker Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Muhammad Azam Khan analyzing the situation arising from the recent storm and rain from time to time.
On the direction of Caretaker Chief Minister the provincial government and concerned departments are busy in relief activities. District administrations of Bannu, Lakki Marwat and Karak are in touch with the people of rain-hit areas. Emergency has been implemented in the hospitals of these districts so that the injured can be provided timely medical assistance.
The caretaker provincial minister said that PDMA, Rescue 1122 and other organizations have immediately started relief activities in these districts while the damage caused by the heavy wind and torrential rain is being assessed. The provincial government stands with the victims in this hour of difficulty and will provide them with all possible help he added. Barrister Feroze Jamal Shah Kakakhel expressed regret for the loss of life and property due to wind and rain and condoled with the families of the deceased and prayed for their forgiveness and speedy recovery of the injured.
