Pakistan: 17 killed as lightning, rain strike Hazara, Malakand

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AFP
AFP

A majority of the casualties occurred when lightning struck three houses located in the Jhatka area within Judba tehsil in Torghar.

By Agencies

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Published: Sun 12 Sep 2021, 10:34 AM

Last updated: Sun 12 Sep 2021, 9:19 PM

Torrential monsoon rains and mudslides hit Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Hazara and Malakand divisions early on Sunday, destroying homes and killing at least 17 people, police said.

A majority of the casualties occurred when lightning struck three houses located in the Jhatka area within Judba tehsil in Torghar.


At least 14 members of a family were killed in the lightning incident. The families of two brothers were living in the affected houses.

“I am personally supervising the rescue operation and the injured have been moved to the hospital and roads are also cleared for traffic. The affected families will be facilitated, and tents and foods will be provided to them,” Dawn News quoted area Assistant Commissioner Azhar Zahoor as saying in a report.


Rescue officer Mohammed Nawaz said three homes were completely swept away in the remote village of the district, while other houses were less affected.

Zahoor said that a cattle pen was also damaged due to the heavy rain, while a tractor slipped, killing its driver. Furthermore, the rain caused landslides and road closures.

Meanwhile, the roof of a house collapsed in Abbottabad’s Kakul area and buried seven members of a family underneath its rubble. Three bodies have been recovered and two injured retrieved from the debris as the rescue operation continues.

According to rescue sources, the house’s roof collapsed due to heavy rain. The bodies and the injured were moved to Ayub Medical Complex in Abbottabad.

The disaster management authorities said they were dispatching relief aid to the affected area but mudslides in mountainous areas were delaying delivery. Efforts were underway to clear the roads.

Hot weather, rain in Karachi

The Pakistan Metrological Department (PMD) on Sunday forecast hot weather and rain in Karachi till September 14, predicting the temperature to go upto at least 39 degrees Celsius. “Yesterday’s low over Rajasthan has shifted to the east with its trough extending westwards,” the PMD’s weather outlook stated.

Due to this phenomenon, isolated rains, along with thunderstorms, may occur in Sindh’s districts of Tharparkar, Umerkot, Sanghar, and Badin, it added. According to a media report, a leading meteorologist said that the heatwave is likely to start from September 14.

Due to reduced sea breezes and hot desert winds from Balochistan blowing towards Karachi, the temperature may rise.


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