Eight persons were swept away on Wednesday after heavy rains triggered a flash flood in a seasonal stream in Azakhel in Nowshera district. Rescue workers have so far recovered three bodies of the victims. Talking to reporters, Director of Relief Operations, Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), Zulfikar Ali Khan said that there was prior information about flooding in rain streams of the district.
He said that he could confirm only three deaths, adding that there was a probable fourth person missing. He said that the PDMA had also started preparing estimates of losses. Meanwhile, people in Peshawar heaved a sigh of relief after the city and its adjacent areas received rains, turning the weather pleasant.
Rainfall was also reported from other districts, including Mardan, Nowshera, Mansehra and Abbottabad. Met Office forecast more rains in the provincial metropolis Peshawar and upper areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa over the next 12 hours. The provincial government issued flood warning in major rivers of the province, putting the PDMA on alert.
NNI adds: A warning for high-level flooding in the next 48 hours has been issued for rivers including Kabul, Kurram, Gambeela and Swat in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Flood Forecasting Division (FFD), Lahore issued warning that more torrential rains are expected in Kohat, Bannu, Peshawar, Mardan and Hazara Division during the next two days, adding heavy showers may spawn flooding in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa rivers. Issuing an advisory, the FFD directed the authorities concerned to adopt precautionary measures to avert loss of life and property.