Last updated on September 1st, 2024 at 03:14 pm
As many as twelve members of a family lost their lives when the roof of their mud house collapsed due to heavy rainfall in Maidan tehsil, Upper Dir, KPK, Pakistan, early Friday morning. The dead women and children also showed just how badly the rains of ongoing monsoon have affected the region.
Deadly Roof Collapse in Upper Dir
The tragedy struck when the family was in a deep sleep, oblivious to the danger looming in the shape of a frail home structure. A representative of Rescue 1122, Bilal Ahmad Faizi, said they retrieved all twelve bodies and shifted them to Maidan hospital. A district emergency officer supervised the search operation, ending the dreary activity.
According to DPO Waqar Ahmed, the dead included Noshad Khan, Khan Bacha, Wali Rehman and their wives, children who aged between three to 22-year-old.
Monsoon Season Wreaks Havoc in KPK –
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has been on the receiving end of heavy rainfall since the beginning of the month. Intense weather is causing river flows to swell, precipitating flooding all across Malakand and Hazara divisions. In one such incident, the main bridge between Mansehra and Naran is washed away. A temporary steel bridge had to be installed to reconnect with Babusar.
In a separate rain-related incident, a landslide also blocked the Karakoram Highway at Diamer, which was reopened to traffic afterward. These events highlight the violent and sometimes lethal outcomes of the monsoon season in Pakistan, usually from July to August, averaging about 255mm of rain each month.
Monsoon Rains Impact in 2023
This monsoon has so far killed a number of people and seriously damaged several areas in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. According to a report by the Provincial Disaster Management Authority PDMA on August 28, 74 people had been killed, and 128 had been injured since July due to incidents arising from rain. Similarly, 906 houses were damaged in the current monsoon that started in July this year in the whole of the province.
These figures visibly remind one of the destruction brought about by rains during monsoons in the past. More than 75,000 houses were completely destroyed, and more than 130,000 were partially damaged in KPK alone during 2022, according to government and international relief agencies.
The tragic roof collapse in Upper Dir was a heartbreaking example of the dangers posed by the monsoon season in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. With heavy rains still lashing the region, the possibility of similar incidents cannot be ruled out. The authorities and residents will have to be watchful and take all necessary precautions to save lives and property during this testing time.
