Heavy rain 13 die as two houses collapse in Torghar

MANSEHRA: Thirteen people all belonging to same family were killed and another two sustained injuries when two houses collapsed after a cloudburst in a remote village in Torghar district in the wee hours of Sunday.

“Thirteen people, most of them women and children, were killed in this incident,” Deputy Commissioner Torghar Mohammad Fawad told reporters. The heavy rain wreaked havoc in Torghar as the main Darband-Thakot and many links roads connecting scores of villages with the Judbah were blocked following heavy landslides.

The house of one Mohammad Sheraz situated on the bank of a stream in Gatka Imlok Bahri village collapsed and the bodies were swept away by the rainwater. The locals rushed to the spot and started removing the debris of the collapsed houses and retrieved five bodies including women and children.

Five more bodies were taken out of the stream by the locals at different places. Those who died in the incident included Mohammad Sheraz, 35, Sher Nawaz, 17, Gulladeen Bibi, 32, Anwar Bibi, 30, Bakht Nawaz, 13, Bakht Raza Bibi 11, Rubina Bibi, 6, Ayesha Bibi 8, Noor Kayam Bibi, 70, and Umara Bibi aged 4.

Asia Bibi and Mohammad Anwar were injured and shifted to the nearby hospital. The cattle pens of Mohammad Sheraz also collapsed and dozens of animals, including sheep and goats were killed.

The house of one Mohammad Niaz, stated to be brother of Mohammad Sheraz, also collapsed. His wife Bakhat Roza Bibi, 43, and his son Hasnain, 4, were killed. The locals complained that they had to retrieve the bodies on a self-help basis as according to them no government rescue team arrived at the scene. However, Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Fawad visited the spot along with Assistant Commissioner Azhar Zahoor.

He said excavators weremoved to the affected village after reopening the road leading to the area. The official said that the family would receive Rs300,000 compensation for each deceased within a couple of days. “The injured would also be compensated in due course of time,” he said.