Death toll from KP rainstorm rises to 45

PESHAWAR: At least 45 people have been killed and over 200 injured as a severe storm lashed different parts of northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

Intense rain and strong winds buffeted the city of Peshawar and adjacent districts late Sunday and Monday morning, felling trees, causing dozens of roofs and walls to collapse and blocking many roads.

The injured include nearly 100 children, according to officials, while farmers have seen their produce badly affected.

“The storm followed by heavy rain and hailstorm has severely damaged wheat crops and orchards,” Provincial Information Minister Mushtaq Ghani told news agency AFP.

Ghani said that authorities were estimating the losses and expressed fear that hundreds of cattle have been killed.

Electricity was still suspended in Peshawar, the provincial capital, and in parts of two nearby districts, Nowshera and Charsadda.

Gail wind and heavy downpour also caused trees and poles to fall in Nowshera, Akbarpura and other adjoining areas. Similar incidents were also reported from Charsadda road, Badho Sumar Bagh and Badhni areas.

Emergency was declared in all the hospitals in the affected areas of the province.

Rescue workers in Peshawar were removing fallen trees to open roads while engineers from mobile phone companies were repairing the towers.

The affected areas plunged into darkness after a large number of pole mounted transmitters (PMTs) tripped as torrential rains and stormy winds wreaked havoc there.

Meanwhile, the Weather Department has forecast further heavy rains with windstorm for the next 24 hours in Malakand, Hazara and Peshawar.

The military has been called in to boost rescue efforts, using ground-penetrating radars, concrete cutters and sniffer dogs.

In wake of Psr rain/storm,rescue teams despatched to affected areas to assist civ admin.CMH put on alert,Drs present to treat the injured

— AsimBajwaISPR (@AsimBajwaISPR) April 26, 2015

On Sunday evening, flood waters from the torrential rain reached a depth of a metre (three feet) in some parts of the city, which is home to more than three million people.

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Prime Minister expresses grief

Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif expressed grief over the loss of life and property in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province due to torrential rains on Sunday.

Sharif, who is currently on a visit to London, expressed condolences to the grieved families.

He asked the provincial government and disaster management authorities to gear up the rescue efforts for controlling the damage.