One killed, four injured in Swat rain-related incident

MINGORA: A child was killed and four persons sustained injuries in rain-related incidents in Swat district on Tuesday.

A child was killed and four persons sustained injuries in rain-related incident at Gogdarra area. The locals said that a group of schoolchildren were playing nearby when a boulder fell on them. As a result, three children were trapped under the debris.The local people rushed to the spot and retrieved the body of a child, Abdullah.

Fawad Khan and Asif Khan, the other two children, were rescued alive but in injured condition. They were taken to the Saidu Sharif Hospital. Meanwhile, one Akhtar Gul sustained injuries when lightning struck his house in Chorkhai area of Barikot tehsil here. Two rooms of his house were damaged in the incident.

Similarly, three members of a family including two women suffered serious burn injuries as they were struck by lightning in Chagharzai area in Gagra tehsil of Buner district. The victims were identified wife of Zubair, wife of Israrul Haq and Maroof Khan.

The injured were shifted to the District Headquarters Hospital in Daggar from where the doctors referred a seriously injured woman to a hospital in Peshawar. The rain coupled with hailstorm played havoc in Barikot tehsil. The rain and hailstorm damaged standing crops and fruit orchards, causing huge losses to the growers and owners. Barikot soil is fertile and famous for its orchards, which is a primary source of income for the locals. The damage caused to the orchards might affect the production of fruits and deprive the owners of their precious source of income. The growers and owners appealed to the government to declare the area calamity-hit and provide compensation to the affectees.

Meanwhile, the spell of intermittent rain continued to lash various parts of the district, turning the weather pleasant. The rain also caused hardships to people as rainwater inundated streets in Mingora city due to the chocked drains.