Torrential rains hit Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, on April 15, 2020, resulting in flash floods and landslides that killed at least 8 people.
Deaths were reported from the provincial Peshawar Nizhny Dir and the tribal region of Mohammad. In Peshawar, four members of the same family died when the roof of their house collapsed. According to the representative of the rescue service, a woman and her three children were identified among the dead. The bodies of the dead were eventually recovered from the rubble.
In Lower Dir, a man, his wife, and their two-year-old daughter died in a similar incident when the roof of their house collapsed due to a broken wooden beam from accumulated dirt.
The neighbors rushed to the scene and tried to extract the bodies from the rubble. Local residents then demanded that the government and the district administration pay compensation to the family of the deceased.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, district authorities issued emergency warnings after the water level in the Paikora River rose to a dangerous height after several days of heavy rains.
A landslide blocked several roads in Shahi, Binsakhi and Upper Maidan. The main burden of the tragedy was carried by nomads on the river bank near the Timergara bypass road, when their tents washed away into the river.
Al-Hidmat Foundation volunteers provided affected families with basic necessities and temporary shelters. Flood water broke through agricultural fields in Rabat, Balambat, Saddo, Mian gang and Odigram. Local residents also demanded compensation not only for nomads, but also for farmers.
In the Mohmand tribal district, a woman died when part of the wall in her house collapsed. According to local residents, the victim was doing homework near the wall when she hit her, killing her on the spot. Police and locals eventually found the woman’s body.
In Chitral, about 92 locals got stuck on the road when one of the hills collapsed and cut off access to the road in the village of Mroy. One resident reported that passengers, including women and children, were injured.
Since then, the district authorities rescued passengers by returning them to the city, where they were offered housing and food. Passengers hit the road again as soon as everything was cleared.
In Charsadda, floods affected agricultural workers in various areas along the river. The deputy commissioner instructed officials to take precautions in the area.
According to the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), the western wave is expected to affect the upper and central parts of the country on Friday, April 17, and may persist in the upper region until Monday next week, April 20.
Rains, winds and thunderstorms with little hail are expected in many provinces, including Khyber Pakhtunkhava, at the weekend.
