Balochistan [Pakistan], July 1 : Incessant rain killed at least eight people, injured 24 and damaged 300 mud houses between Friday and Saturday, lashing different areas of Balochistan, Pakistan-based daily, Dawn reported.
The heavy rains on the Suleman mountain range also triggered a landslide between the Danasar and Dera Ismail Khan areas of the Sherani district, causing heavy traffic on Zhob-Dera Ismail Khan Highway.
An official said that heavy rains lashed the Zhob, Sherani, Qila Saifullah, Barkhan, Musakhail and Loralai areas of the province, Dawn reported.
A huge portion of the National Highway linking Quetta with Islamabad via Zhob-Dera Ismail Khan was blocked due to landslides on the highway in the Danasar area, causing traffic bottlenecks on the highway between Sherani and DI Khan.
Hundreds of passenger coaches, buses, cars and trucks carrying passengers and goods remained stuck on both sides of the Danasar and Sherani areas.
The deputy commissioner of Sherani district, Sana Mahjabeen, said that during the highway closure, food items and water were provided by the district administration to the people stranded there. The local administration rushed to Danasar and launched an operation to remove huge boulders and mud from the highway, Dawn reported.
Levies Force and local administration stopped traffic on both sides of Danasar and Dera Ismail Khan to let boulders and mud removal operations continue unhindered. Rescue teams of the National Highway Authority also reached the affected area to help restore traffic on the highway.
An NHA spokesperson said, "We immediately shifted heavy machinery to the Danasar area to remove boulders and mud to restore traffic on the highway as soon as possible. A big chunk of the highway has been adversely affected as the Suleman Range is still receiving heavy rainfall, increasing the possibility of more landslides in the area."
In Barkhan area, three people were killed when the roof of their house collapsed during heavy rain. Two other rain-related deaths were reported from the Sui area of the Dera Bugti district. A man was electrocuted in the Dera Bugti district while two people died in Khuzdar and Jhal Magsi in rain-related incidents.
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