At least 8 people were died during last 24 hours in Tehsil Balakot by drowning in River Kunhar and other streams of the area.
Keeping in view of the intensity of the rain, Deputy Commissioner Mansehra ordered to close down all public and private educational institutions on the 26th of August in Tehsil Blakot as today, heavy downpour was also predicted by the Met Department.
The administration confirmed 8 deaths in Balakot during last 24 hours where 3 dead bodies have been recovered while the rescue operation is continued to search for other people who have drowned in River Kunhar and streams. On the other side, locals have claimed that the number of causalities is more than double as announced by the administration but nobody confirmed it.
To distract Mansehra Karakorum Highway (KKH) and Mansehra NARAN Jalkhad (MNJ) roads were blocked at several places due to land sliding and floods. People of the region were stuck in their homes.
The district administration has also instructed locals and tourists not to travel from Balakot to Naran as in many areas, the road is closed due to land sliding and floods until the clearance of the roads.
River Kunhar and streams of Tehsil Balakot were flooded owing to the continuous torrential rain which also destroyed several connecting bridges and roads where the local population and tourists have trapped. Yesterday at Mahandri, 9 shops and a mosque were buried under the debris of a hill that caved in due to land sliding.
The district administration has sent heavy machinery to open MNJ and other connecting roads where a large number of police were also deputed with them.
Besides district Mansehra, heavy rain also created havoc in Kohistan Battagram, Torghar and Abbottabad. In Kohistan, most connecting bridges and link roads have been destroyed by the flash flood and moreover, KKH was also blocked at several places which has disconnected Northern areas from the rest of the country for the last few days
