At least 15 people have lost their lives and 31 others injured in different incidents caused by the recent spate of heavy rains in large swathes of the country. According to data released by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), most fatalities were reported from Balochistan where nine people died in rain-related incidents, while more than 500 houses were partially or fully destroyed. Four people were killed in similar incidents in tribal districts – the erstwhile Federally Administrated Tribal Areas (FATA) – while two died in other parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Besides, flash floods caused by heavy rains also wreaked havoc on dozens of shops in these areas. Rescue and relief operations were underway in the affected areas as 10, 000 victims had been provided with food packets, the authority said, adding that relief teams and relevant departments were on high alert to deal with any emergency situation. Personnel of the Pakistan Army carried out rescue and relief operations in Lasbela, Makran and other flood-hit areas of Balochistan.
Published in Daily Times, March 5th 2019.
