Chitral flashflood death toll is 29 as 15 bodies found

13 bodies recovered in Afghanistan; relief work continues

CHITRAL: The bodies of 15 persons out of 29 who died in the flashflood in Ursoon village in Drosh tehsil have been recovered, officials said on Monday.

Osama Ahmad Warraich, deputy commissioner Chitral, said the death toll was 29 and efforts were being made to recover the remaining 14 bodies that were swept away by the raging water. Four Pakistan Army soldiers were injured in the incident.

The flashflood had stuck Ursoon village Saturday night and destroyed many houses and a mosque. The 16 faithful offering the night-time Taraweeh prayers in the mosque were all swept away by the flashflood and drowned. Eight soldiers manning a security post in the area were also killed.

Led by local TV channels, most of the Pakistani media had reported 43 deaths on Sunday and Monday. They apparently added the 14 missing also to the number of deaths, though they were among the 29 who were killed.

General Officer Commanding (GOC) Major General Asif Ghafoor said the Afghan authorities also handed over the bodies to the Pakistan Army at the border town of Arandu. He said the bodies had been washed away by the floods into Afghanistan.

He said the Afghan government handed over the bodies fished out of the river Kunar to Pakistan after receiving Rs15,000 to Rs20,000 per body.Maj Genl Asif Ghafoor and provincial minister Mahmood Khan also visited the affected area.

Talking to reporters before leaving for Ursoon village, Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor said the rising incidents due to climate change demanded drastic steps for prevention of such natural disasters in future. He said Pakistan had negligible role in environmental pollution that is causing climate change, but it was among the worst affected countries.

He noted that every year several lives were lost and infrastructure worth millions of rupees was damaged in Pakistan. Later, Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor distributed relief items among the affected families and directed the officials to provide assistance to the affectees.

Speaking on the occasion, Deputy Commissioner Osama Warraich said the Punjab
government had sent nine trucks of relief items for the affectees.He added that 5,000 meter pipe for rehabilitating the water supply scheme had also been sent to the area.

When contacted late Monday, the Deputy Commissioner said the confirmed death toll is 29. He said the Afghan government had delivered 13 bodies to them until now. In reply to a question, he said the Afghan authorities demanded Rs5,000 to Rs10,000 per body for transportation costs for bringing the bodies to the border. “Up to four bodies were transported by the Afghan authorities in one vehicle,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Afghan officials said they found 13 bodies of Pakistanis that were swept away by the flood in Chitral and brought by the water to Kunar province.Abdul Habib Saidkhel, police head of Kunar province told Afghan Islamic Press (AIP) that the bodies were recovered from the river Kunar in Naray, Narang, Asmar, Ghaziabad and surrounding areas.

He said announcements had been made asking the people to inform the police in case they find the drowned bodies so that these could be returned to their families in Chitral, which neighbours Kunar.

The flashflood also caused human and material losses in Kunar.Police official Abdul Habib Saidkhel said a number of people, including four girls, drowned in river Kunar. Three of the dead girls were sisters and were said to be nieces of Wagma Safi, the National Assembly member from Kunar, while the fourth one was their cousin. The girls drowned in the river in Sawki district.

PDMA continues relief activities: The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) continued relief activities in flood-affected areas of Chitral district on Monday. A press release said on the directives of Chief Minister Pervez Khattak, the PDMA was using all of its recourses to support the affected families.

According to the district administration, 29 deaths have been confirmed while 13 people are still missing. Rescue operation in the region continued till the filing of this report. Necessary food and non-food items have been distributed amongst 50 affected families from Ursoon village.

Moreover, the PDMA has already provided 500 tents to the district administration in the second week of June 2016. In addition, Rs5 million relief fund has been released to the deputy commissioner Chitral.

As per the weather advisory received from Met Office, there are more monsoon rains predictions for Malakand and Hazara divisions during the next 24 to 48 hours. The PDMA KP has issued a red alert to the Malakand district administration and Hazara division. A spokesman for the PDMA said that the control room would remain functional even during Eid holidays and special duties have been assigned to the staff.