Another 12 die in Baluchistan under heavy rainfall
Heavy rains and sudden floods devastated Baluchistan as another 12 people died on Monday in the Musakhail and Washuk areas while many others were carried away in the hilly torrents and still missing.
Floods washed out another dam in the Musakhail region. Two Levies officials were carried away in a flash flood on their way back from Washuk in their vehicle. Their corpses were later found.
The railway service was discontinued between Quetta and the rest of the country because the main track between Sibi and Dera Murad Jamali was swept away in floodwater.
Authorities have reported heavy rains in the districts of Musakhail, Nasirabad, Washuk, Dera Bugti, Kohlu, Barkhan, Zhob, Sibi, and Harnai since Sunday evening. This caused massive destruction in Musakhail as flooding in seasonal rivers and creeks swept away several villages and left hundreds of people roofless.
Musakhail’s Deputy Commissioner said that more than 12 people were swept away in the floods after the break-up of the Andarpose Dam. He said that up to now eight bodies have been found by the rescue teams. Two children were killed in the Rarasham area as the roof of their home collapsed.
Officials said the road network and communication system were severely affected in Musakhail while power has been cut off in the district. A village in Tilli tehsil was flooded as a result of a breakage of a protective dyke that forced people in the area to leave their homes.
“Mal Ghshkori and Hambi villages were also affected as another protection dayke was collapsed,” deputy commissioner Sibi told media, adding that 60 more homes were damaged in the two villages.
Chairing a meeting to discuss the flooding situation, Baluchistan’s Chief Minister, Mir Abdul Qudoos Bizenjo, said the province was going through a very critical situation as torrential rains and flash floods resulted in huge destruction in almost all 34 districts, wiping out dams, bridges and road structures, along with heavy casualties.
The chief minister attended a meeting of the Relief Coordination Committee, presided over by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Islamabad, via a video link. Mr. Bizenjo debriefed the meeting on the devastation caused by the floods and said that the whole province was affected by this natural calamity.
Prime Minister Sharif instructed the Benazir Income Support Programme to provide 50,000 for each family affected by the flooding.