District Buner of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province has been declared the most calamity-hit district with 157 casualties among the regions devastated by the rain-triggered floods, while the Battagram-Mansehra bordered area at second place, hit by the calamity.
According to the deputy commissioner, Buner, 120 dead bodies have been recovered from the Gudezai area of Buner and 20 from the Dagar area. Women, children and the elderly are among the deceased.
He said that the search operation has been continuing in the area to recover bodies and shift the families to safer places.
Read also: Cloud burst and flood claimed 75 lives in Buner: Deputy Commissioner
Local sources said that lightning also hit different areas of Buner, which caused heavy flooding in the mountains, swept away cattle and houses in Gookand and Kalil areas. Several dead bodies were recovered in Daggar and Bagra locality of the district.
The flood and lightning also caused heavy property losses to people as their valuable cattle were swept away by the flash flood. The detailed assessment of the human losses has yet to be confirmed as the water level decreased in various rivers, and people are searching for the missing bodies of their family members.
Additional Assistant Commissioner Buner Akram Shah said that an emergency has been imposed in Dagger Hospital, where 56 dead bodies have been identified. Several persons are still missing in the area, and a search operation is underway to retrieve their bodies from the flooded areas.
He said that on the instructions of Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur, a provincial government helicopter was immediately sent to Buner to evacuate people trapped on the roofs of buildings.
On the instructions of the Chief Minister, the provincial government’s large helicopter MI-17 has been sent for relief activities. The provincial government has only these two helicopters, which are being used for rescue activities.
Deputy Commissioner Buner Kashif Qayum Khan confirmed killing of 56 people and injuring dozen others. He said that some remote areas are facing difficulties in rescue operations due to a lack of road infrastructure; however, efforts are underway to evacuate the affected families through helicopters.
