KP govt yet to estimate damages from ‘mini-cyclone’

PESHAWAR: 36 hours after a deadly storm swept Pakistan's northwestern areas, the local administration in Peshawar is yet to issue a report on the damages suffered from the ‘mini-cyclone’ that killed at least 45 people and injured hundreds.

Supply of electricity was still suspended on Tuesday in the rural areas surrounding Peshawar, home to more than three million people.

Intense rain and strong winds buffeted Peshawar and adjacent districts late Sunday, 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.

When contacted, officials of the Peshawar district administration said a preliminary report on the losses suffered from the storm will be prepared in the next 48 hours and sent to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provincial government.




Officials said an estimated 90 per cent of the rural population was without power since the storm struck Sunday evening.

Workers of Peshawar Electric Supply Company (PESCO) were busy trying to restore electricity in the district.

Several trees and electricity poles that had fallen due to strong winds had now been removed and the roads reopened for traffic. Residents were seen repairing their damaged houses and property on their own, with no government teams seen on the ground to help those affected from the storm.