Five die in torrential rains in Balochistan

QUETTA/CHAMAN (NNI): At least five people were killed due to torrential rains in different parts of the Balochistan province, said the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) on Sunday.
Two people were killed in Khuzdar, two in Machh and Lasbela and one was killed in Ketch in rain-related incidents.
According to PDMA officials, under the influence of a powerful weather system, several mud houses were damaged in Chagai and Panjgur while parts of Bolan Panjra Bridge and Sonari Bridge were swept away by the Kohlu floodwaters due to recent rains.
The PDMA said that the work of repairing the bridges and restoring traffic was underway at both places. Both the main national highways connecting Balochistan with Sindh were closed after torrential rains in Chaman, Pashin, Mastung, Daki, Dera Bugti, Kohlu, Awaran and Naseerabad flooded the streams and nullahs.
Traffic was suspended in Bolan area when alternate route of Panjara Bridge was washed away. The Quetta-Karachi Highway near Lasbela was also washed away in the flood torrents. The alternative route of traffic to Karachi was affected while the Quetta-Sabi Highway was closed for all types of traffic.
According to officials, after heavy rains and hailstorm in Pakistan-Afghan and Pakistan-Iran border areas of Balochistan, damages have been reported in many areas including Kech, Turbat, Mand and Balu.
Officials said that traffic was stopped due to damage to the alternative route of the Hub stream as a result of high water flow last night. The PDMA said that a rain-giving system was developing over Mount Sulaiman and Kherthar Ranges, which was likely to have a major impact on Balochistan, Sindh and South Punjab border.
According to PDMA, rain with strong winds, gales and thundershowers were also expected after Sunday afternoon.
Heavy rain closes national highways connecting Balochistan with Sindh: Two important National Highways connecting Balochistan with Sindh have been closed for all kind of traffic following the torrential rains that have washed away a bridge on Sunday. Different areas in Balochistan including Chaman, Pishin, Mastung, Dera Bugti, Kohlo, Awaran, and Naseerabad are being hit by heavy rain under a new rain inducing system that has entered the country. The streams and nullahs in Balochistan are in flood following the heavy downpour.
The administration has also closed two important National Highways which connect Balochistan with Sindh province.
The land link has also been cut off among different areas of Balochistan due to washing away of a bridge on the National Highway.
Kaghan-Naran road closes after glacier burst near Kaghan
The Kaghan-Naran road is closed for all types of traffic following the melting of a huge glacier, an official of the National Highway Authority (NHA) said.
The NHA official also said that work on removing glaciers and cleaning the road is going on rapidly at Chitta Katha on Naran Road. He said that the route was also blocked from another big glacier at Guriya Chinch Naran. The work will be started after the cleaning of this glacier on Guriya Chinch, he informed.
The spokesperson for Tourism Authority, Muhammad Saad, advised the tourists to take good care during the tour to Kaghan and Naran valleys.
Tourists should avoid traveling to Naran, he said and added, to ensure the safety of tourists, the district administration, NHA, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Tourism Department, Tourism Authority and Kaghan Development Authority are jointly working on a priority basis to clear the road from the melted glacier that has blocked the road.
He said the tourists can contact Tourism Helpline 1422 for any information or emergency. Tourism awareness information is being published regularly on social media platforms, the spokesman added.