Search for 7 missing persons continues in Shangla

ALPURI: The search continues for the seven missing persons in the continued for the sixth consecutive day in the flood-hit Puran tehsil in Shangla district on Tuesday.

Rescue operations were going on to recover the missing persons. Rescue workers along with local residents, were actively participating in a joint search operation at Choga Khwar to find two of the missing persons. Families of the missing were assured that the district administration would not leave them alone during this difficult time.

The affected families were informed that all available resources were being utilised for the search, and the operation would continue until the missing persons were found.

Most of the affected areas are facing a severe shortage of clean drinking water and food. Relief efforts are going on but blocked roads are causing significant difficulties for volunteers, rescue teams, welfare organizations, and the administration.

Road restoration work in the affected areas is also progressing rapidly. In remote areas, where the damage has been most severe, basic food supplies are being delivered by Rescue 1122, local volunteers, Alkhidmat Foundation, the local administration and residents, who are making efforts by walking five to six hours to reach those in need.

The most affected area of Shangla is Puran where vast destruction has occurred destroying agricultural land, crops, orchards, homes, shops, residential buildings, infrastructure, and government properties.

Link roads were swept away by floodwaters. Scenes of devastation are visible everywhere in Puran.

Across Shangla district, 39 deaths have been reported with many others injured. The situation remained in a state of emergency.

Meanwhile, the district administration has also released a report about the destruction caused by the flood. According to official figures, 36 people have died due to flashfloods, lightning and landslides, while seven are still missing.

A total of 277 link roads and 56 schools have been severely damaged while over 100 clean water supply schemes were destroyed by the flood.

A Jamia mosque was also destroyed in the flooding while over 60 percent of the areas have experienced severe disruption to the power supply system.

The communication also said that in various areas 55 houses were completely destroyed while 40 houses were partially damaged.

Among the damaged schools, 34 were girls’ schools, and 22 were boys’ schools. Over 177 link roads, including major highways, suffered significant damage, with many completely wiped off the map. Also, 11 vehicles were swept away by the floods while 15 major protection walls were also destroyed.

However, independent sources, media reports, and local residents said that the damage was far greater than the figures shared by the Shangla district administration.