Rains and flooding have brought nothing but destruction with over a dozen lives lost in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa within last 48 hours.
According to sources, three individuals lost their lives to electrocution in Pakpattan district. Among the victims were Waqas and Ramzan, residents of Purani Sabzi Mandi and Arifawala, who tragically died while bathing.
Additionally, a two-year-old baby, Ayesha, met a similar fate after accidentally touching an electric wire in the Sikandar Chowk area.
The torrential monsoon rains wreaked havoc in the districts of Mansehra and Chitral in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, causing widespread devastation. Five lives were tragically lost, and over a dozen people sustained injuries in the region.
Rescue 1122, the emergency response team, reported numerous incidents of collapsed houses and blocked roads due to the heavy downpour.
In Mansehra, the house of an Afghan national, Samiullah, collapsed, burying six members of his family under the rubble. Tragically, Samiullah’s wife and son lost their lives. Similarly, in the Dehri area of Shinkiari, 12-year-old Ajwa Bibi and her younger brother, Mohammad Umar, were buried alive as their house collapsed.
The floods also impacted Chitral, washing away over half a kilometer of the Chitral-Shandur Road and severing the land link between Lower Chitral and Upper Chitral districts. The floodwaters caused damage to the Gangoreni Hydel Powerhouse and nearby residential quarters in Chitral City.
Reports from Kalash and Rambur valleys indicated the destruction of four houses and standing crops due to flooding from Rambur Nullah.
In Lahore, the heavy rains claimed the lives of two children and left three citizens injured.
A 12-year-old boy drowned while bathing in rainwater near Babu Sabu in the Sherakot area.
Another 14-year-old boy drowned in rainwater near Aik Moria Pul, Misri Shah.
Furthermore, a citizen was injured when a roof collapsed in the Raiwind area, and three others were injured when a wall collapsed in the Shahdara area.
The meteorological department has forecasted further heavy rains in the Hazara division from July 22 to 26, exacerbating the already precarious situation and increasing the risk of more casualties and damage.
Authorities in the affected regions are working tirelessly to address the aftermath of the floods and provide aid to those impacted. Rescue teams have been dispatched to the affected areas, but the scale of the devastation poses significant challenges.
