Landslide, snowfall kill 12 people in KP, Balochistan

Peshawar / Quetta (HRNW) Twelve people has been killed and several injured in rain, snowfall and landslide in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces. KP reported seven deaths including five who died when a house was destroyed by landslide in Shangla.

KP Provincial Disaster Management Authority or PDMA said landslids and roof collapses took seven people’s lives, including five children. While 16 people, including four children and four women, were injured as well. It said one house was partially damaged while another was completely damaged. On the other hand, three cattle were killed when roof sheds collapsed in different areas.

PDMA says efforts are being made by the district administration to open the roads due to heavy snowfall. It has already issued an alert across the hilly districts of the province due to the fresh spell of snow. The Pakistan Meteorological Department, forecasting a new spell of snowfall, had also warned of landslides in several areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Murree, Gilgit Baltistan, and Azad Kashmir. Meanwhile, snowfall caused road accident in Kalat, Mastung and Ziarat areas of Balochistan, leaving five people dead. A vehicle fell into a gorge in Ziarat. Several roads were blocked by the snowfall.

Balochistan PDMA said they had cleared Quetta-Mastung, Ziarat-Muslim Bagh and other roads. Snow removing machines were working in Qila Saifullah district. According to the Meteorological Department, the cold snap intensified after the snowfall. Kalat minus 9, Quetta minus 5, Dalbandin minus 3, and Nokandi minus 1 degree Celsius were recorded. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Chief Minister Mahmood Khan has directed district administrations across the province to stay alert in view of ongoing spell of rains and snowfall. According to a statement, he issued directives to ensure timely relief activities to affected people and cooperate with the tourists.