Death toll from ‘mini-cyclone’ soars to 45

PESHAWAR: The death toll from the “mini-cyclone” that hit the provincial capital, Charsadda and Nowshera districts rose to 45 on Monday as more buildings collapsed due to the continuous downpour.
The death toll reached 30 in Peshawar, nine in Charsadda and five in Nowshera late on Sunday night. Around 19 women were among the dead in Peshawar.More than 250 people were injured in the rain-related incidents in the Peshawar, Nowshera and Charsadda districts. Most of the injured were women and children. Early Monday, another building collapsed on the Grand Trunk Road near the Fruit Market in Chamkani in rural Peshawar. A man identified as Hukam Sher was killed in the incident raising the death toll in Peshawar to 31.
Some 19 people were injured in the incident. They were taken to the Lady Reading Hospital (LRH), Peshawar. A state of emergency was declared in LRH after a large number of the injured were brought there from Peshawar, Charsadda and Nowshera.
Talking to reporters, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Information Minister Mushtaq Ghani confirmed that 45 people were killed in various rain-related incidents in the three districts. He added that more than 200 injured were shifted to hospitals in Peshawar.
Many areas in the provincial capital remained flooded as rain continued throughout the night between Sunday and Monday. Water accumulated on the main roads causing roadblocks and traffic jams in the urban areas of Peshawar.
Rescuers continued to work in the affected areas on the second day. Teams of the Peshawar Electric Supply Company (Pesco) repaired the poles and transmission lines destroyed during the storm and restored the electricity supply. The Toll Plaza at the Motorway was also made functional. It had been damaged due to the windstorm the previous day.
Deputy Commissioner Peshawar Riaz Khan Mahsud said teams had been constituted to assess the damage in the affected areas. Apart from the Rescue 1122, troops of the Pakistan Army participated in the rescue operations in the affected areas.The provincial government directed the teams to remain in these areas to meet any requirement in case of flood or any other emergency.A statement by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said over 20 rescue teams of the Pakistan Army were busy in rescue and relief operation in various parts of the province.
It added that heavy machinery had been dispatched to speed up the rescue and relief operation while army engineers were busy repairing link roads in the affected areas.The statement added that army engineers had removed trees, electricity poles and other obstacles from the Pakha Ghulam-Charsadda road and reopened it for traffic.
It said the army teams pumped out rainwater that had accumulated at the offices of the provincial Transport Department and also from some low-lying localities. The army has sent boats and other necessary provisions to the affected areas to cope with any likely flood or emergency situation.
Apart from the provincial ministers, Chief Minister Parvez Khattak and Reham Khan, wife of the chief of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Imran Khan, visited the LRH and enquired after the health of those injured in the rain-related incidents.
Parvez Khattak visited Wahid Garhi village where seven members of a family were killed when the roof of a house caved in. The chief minister prayed for the eternal peace of those killed. Hundreds of people attended the funerals of the wife, three kids and other members of the family of Shahpur Khan. They were later laid to rest in their ancestral cemetery. The funeral prayers of others killed in the rain-related incidents were offered in Nasirpur, Scheme Chowk, Khazana, Charsadda Road and other areas.Many of those wounded in these incidents were discharged from the hospitals while 26 were still under treatment.
During his visit to the LRH, the chief minister directed the staff not to allow irrelevant people including media persons into the wards so they do not hamper their work.The chief minister during his visit was accompanied by only three ministers and director of the LRH. His security staff, members of the media and others weren’t allowed to enter the wards on the orders of the chief minister.
Talking to the newsmen after the visit, the chief minister said that apart from Rescue 1122 there is no system and force to meet the natural calamities.He added that the entire government machinery was activated to expedite the rescue work after the windstorm and rain wreaked havoc.
Reacting to a statement by the federal Information Minister Pervez Rashid, the chief minister said that instead of criticising them the federal minister should have visited Peshawar to oversee the rescue work.
He said the first job of the government functionaries was to activate machinery to help people instead of visiting hospitals as it hampers the treatment of the victims. Many on the social media criticised Pervez Khattak for visiting the LRH quite late. The social media also criticised Imran Khan for not paying any visit to Peshawar despite the catastrophic storm that killed 45 people and injured over 200 others.