2 killed, several injured as windstorm hits KP

PESHAWAR: Two persons were killed and several others injured when a powerful windstorm hit the provincial capital and other districts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Sunday.

According to the deputy commissioner’s office, two persons were killed and three were wounded in Sabzi Mandi when a tree fell on them. The deceased were identified as Younus and Saeed Rahman from Pajaggi.Some people were wounded when a tree fell on them in the old vegetable market near Ghanta Ghar.

At least two injured vegetable vendors were shifted to the hospital. The old vegetable markets have several ancient trees, some dating back to the time when a Bara River tributary used to flow through the area in the last part of the 19th century.

Another tree fell next to Peer Saddo shrine near Garhi Khana, but no one was injured in the incident. The Rescue 1122 staff rushed to the site and removed the fallen tree from the road that links Gari Khana to Gor Khatri and houses a number of wooden art shops.

Several people were wounded while scores of trees as well as billboards, fences, and solar panels were uprooted in different areas.Officials of the Rescue 1122 said two women were taken to the hospital when they were injured after being hit by the fallen tree in the Afghan Colony. Another woman and a child were wounded when a makeshift roof of a house collapsed in Asad Anwar Colony.

On the Ring Road near Garhi Qamardin, wind partially damaged an iron overhead bridge. There was no loss of life as the locals stopped traffic and approached the authorities.Officials said one child Hammad was injured in Najibabad, Charsadda.

The officials said all the stations and rescuers were alerted while roads were being cleared after being blocked by the trees uprooted by the windstorm that continued for some time. In Nowshera, two students were seriously injured when the boundary wall of the second floor of a madrassa collapsed due to a severe windstorm in the Zando Banda area of Risalpur, Nowshera.

According to details, strong winds struck the area on the evening of the incident, causing the boundary wall of Madrassa Abdullah bin Masood to fall. The debris landed on an adjacent guestroom (bethak) and an animal shed next to the madrassa.

Two students, identified as Adnan and Huzaifa, were inside the guestroom at the time and were seriously injured as a result. Local residents immediately launched a rescue operation on a self-help basis, clearing the rubble and retrieving the injured students.Rescue 1122 teams later arrived and provided first aid before transferring the injured to Qazi Medical Complex, Nowshera, for further medical treatment.