–Amid freezing temperatures, gas pressure reduction and load shedding has added to miseries of people
ISLAMABAD: At least 30 were killed and several others left injured due to rain and heavy snowfall in different parts of the country on Monday.
Imran Zarkon, chief of disaster management in Balochistan, said that 14 people have died there in the past 24 hours, mostly when roofs collapsed amid heavy snowfall.
11 people were killed in eastern Punjab when the roofs of their houses caved in under heavy rains, said Abdul Sattar, an official with the state-run emergency service. Two people died in Pattoki as a passenger vehicle collided with a trailer on a slippery road. Heavy rain caused a house roof to collapse in Rajanpur leaving three dead and five others injured.
Five members of a family also suffocated to death as a result of a gas leak, whereas an avalanche in Neelum Valley buried four students out of which one died and three were later rescued.
Life in many areas of Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) has come to a standstill as Siberian winds wreaked havoc whereas various cities in Punjab also witnessed torrential downpour.
Quetta-Ziarat National Highway was closed for traffic due to the second spell of snowfall. More than two feet of snow has fallen as of now. The Quetta-Karachi highway is also closed at Mastung due to snowfall, causing hundreds of travellers to get stuck. Vehicles are left stranded at the Khojak top near Chaman after heavy snow.
Rain and snowfall continued in parts of KP, including Peshawar, Hazara and Malakand divisions, Kohat, Orakzai and Chitral. All routes to Chitral including Lowari Tunnel were blocked whereas electricity supply has also been disrupted. The local administration has warned residents to avoid unnecessary travel and to stay alert.
According to the Met department, rain and snowfall are likely to continue. The cold weather has compelled residents to stay indoors. The shortage of gas or electricity in the area has added to the difficulties of the residents.
The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has issued warnings of flash floods and heavy snowfall for some districts of Balochistan which may cause the closure of roads. It has also warned of landslides and avalanches in Kashmir, GB, Malakand and Hazara divisions.
