48 killed in recent floods, heavy downpours in KP: PDMA

At least 48 people were killed while 67 were injured during the recent heavy rainfall in most parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) that left houses damaged and roads inundated with stormwater, the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) said Thursday.

According to details shared by the authority, rains since August 26 partially damaged 191 houses while 94 houses have been completely destroyed.

It was earlier reported that in various rain-related incidents, seven people were killed when a landslide hit a house in Torgarh district. The fast flow of water in Malakand Division passing through Nowshera and Charsadda has posed serious dangers for residents of the area.

Read more: KP authorities warned to gear up as rain expected to lash various cities

Moreover, five people were swept away in a flash flood in KP, while 18 people — which included two children — were killed in a landslide. The bridge connecting Peshawar and Charsadda was also closed which cut off the land link between the two cities on Great Trunk (GT) Road.

The rains exacted a toll on people in other northern areas as well, with at least 10 getting killed in Azad Kashmir and one person getting crushed to death during a landslide in Gilgit Baltistan (GB).

The PDMA further said that steps are also being taken to restored blocked roads to their original condition across the province.

According to the secretary relief, the emergency operation centre is active and relief operations are underway in the affected areas, and relief supplies have been dispatched to Chitral, Kohistan, and Buner.

He said that the Chinese embassy has provided food provisions for 800 families.

According to PDMA, 52,585 cusecs of water has been recorded at Chakdara in Swat River.

"There is 76,781 cusecs of water in Kabul River at Nowshera," it added.

PDMA is in close touch with all district administrations, the Secretary Relief said.

Yesterday, the PMDA had alerted provincial authorities to gear up and take required measures as the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) had forecast heavy rains in various cities across the province.

The disaster management authority had expressed fears of landslides occurring in the upper districts of the province due to the heavy rains.