Four die in Takht Bhai rainstorm

TAKHT BHAI: At least four people were killed and 13 others sustained injuries in rain and windstorm-related incidents in Takht Bhai.

Locals said that 50-year old Niaz Parwara, wife of one Ghulam Qadir, and her 10-year-old grandson identified as Danial died instantly when roof of their house collapsed in Syed Mohallah Shergarh area in Takht Bhai.

Other inmates including Ghulam Qadir, his sons Abdur Rehman, Gul Umar, Zafar Umar and daughters Shabana and Abida, daughter-in-law Hussan Pari and grandson Fahad sustained serious injuries.

Separately, the wife of one Ismail and her six-year old daughter identified as Manahil died in Pir Saddi area of the tehsil while Ismail, his sons Asad Khan (17), Abdul Samad (15), daughters Sana (13) and Laiba (10) were injured when the roof of their house caved in.

Rescue teams along with the police rushed to the area and retrieved the bodies and injured.

The injured were taken to nearby hospitals.

Some of the injured are said to be in critical condition.

One Irfan in Parao area of Jalala town sustained wounds in a roof collapse incident.

Similarly, the roof and boundary wall of the house of one Usman razed to the ground in Ittehad Colony in Jalala, burying the furniture and other valuables. However, no human loss was reported in the incident.

A brief shower coupled with strong windstorm on Wednesday night damaged the power supply system and destroyed standing crops in Takht Bhai.

The windstorm uprooted power pylons and trees in various areas of the district.

The Water and Power Development Authority has yet to fix the damaged electricity system.

For the last 48 hours, the electricity and water supply in the whole subdivision could not be restored as the windstorm had badly damaged the electricity system.

Meanwhile, District Nazim Himaytullah Mayar announced Rs100,000 compensation for the dead and Rs50,000 for the injured. He assured all possible efforts to restore power supply as well as provide medical care to the wounded.

On behalf of the Provincial Disaster Management Authority, the tehsil administration distributed tents and other essentials among the victims of the calamity.

The district nazim demanded the provincial government to direct the Revenue Department to assess the damage to compensate the farmers.

Man killed in Timergara road accident: A man was killed and eight others sustained injuries when a van plunged into a deep ravine at Balo Darra in Lower Dir on the second day of Eidul Fitr, locals said.

They said that the driver of the van lost control over the steering wheel while negotiating a sharp turn. The man was killed on the spot.

The local people rushed to the spot and retrieved the body and the injured. The victims were shifted to the District Headquarters Hospital in Timergara. The name of the dead and the injured couldn’t be ascertained.  The injured were said to be out of danger.

Meanwhile, three rooms of a house were reduced to ashes when fire broke out at a house at Siar Darra in Lower Dir.

It was learnt that leakage from a gas cylinder caused the fire.