Islamabad [Pakistan], July 28 : At least 10 people were killed in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Thursday as monsoon rains wreaked havoc, Pakistan-based Dawn reported. The rains caused flash floods in hilly areas, inundating urban areas and damaging mud houses across Pakistan.
The Pakistan Meteorological Department issued a red alert for the next three days. It said that a “vigorous monsoon activity” was likely in upper and central parts of Pakistan till July 30, which would result in flooding and landslides. Authorities braced for the 'worst' floods in Ravi and Sutlej since 1998.
A woman and her three children were killed in a house collapse in Mansehra. Meanwhile, a labourer was killed and two others were injured in a landslide in Mardan, Dawn reported.
Khatoon Baidar, her sons - Abdul Sattar, Abdul Jabar and daughter Haleema Bibi were pronounced dead after they were taken to a hospital, according to Dawn.
The heavy rain which began last week continued for the fifth consecutive day and caused further devastation in some areas of Mansehra.
A labourer was killed and two others suffered serious injuries after a landslide hit the site in the Sangao region of Katlang tehsil in Mardan. Road links, bridges, and houses were damaged due to rain in Mansehra district.
Traffic on the Timergara-Peshawar road and Kalpani-Talash bypass road in Lower Dir remained blocked for over eight hours due to floods. Rainwater entered the Ayub Medical Complex and surrounding areas in Abbottabad, Dawn reported.
The rainwater also entered the wards of the Ayub Medical Complex, particularly the neurosurgery, emergency and cardiac wards, prompting the staff and relatives to move their patients to safer places.
Five more people were killed due to torrential rainfall in Balochistan. The non-stop rain spell threatened dams in Panjgur, which were filled to their capacity, according to Dawn. The Hub dam which had the capacity of storing 339 feet of water was filled up to the brim and there was no space left to store more water.
According to officials, a large number of mud houses collapsed in Panjgur, Kalat, Khuzdar, Nasirabad, Kachhi, Awaran, Hub, Lasbela, Sibi and Jhal Magsi and many regions, rendering thousands of people homeless, Dawn reported. Three days of rain in Panjgur triggered heavy floods which entered many villages and destroyed hundreds of houses.
An Irrigation Department official said, "We are passing through a very serious period due to the pattern of recent rainfalls and the unexpected filling of three Indian dams. We have shared all information with the government, security institutions and other concerned [departments], telling them the situation is posing a serious threat to Punjab in case further filling of India dams continues due to incessant rains in the catchment areas," according to Dawn.
Considering potential floods in Sutlej and Ravi, Pakistan's federal and Punjab government and other governments were asked to ensure an effective mitigation plan to save people and infrastructure.
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