Storm in Bannu injures 20 as strong winds damage homes and shops

BANNU: At least 20 people, including women and children, were injured when strong winds and a severe storm hit Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bannu district on Tuesday, damaging houses, shops and other structures, according to Rescue 1122 officials.

Rescue 1122 Bannu said it received reports from multiple areas after roofs and walls of residential and commercial buildings collapsed during the storm. Emergency teams pulled injured people from the debris and shifted them to District Headquarters Hospital Bannu for treatment. First aid was also provided at the affected locations before the victims were transported to hospital.

Officials said rescue teams remained engaged throughout the emergency and responded to incidents reported from different localities of the district. Authorities are continuing damage assessment and collecting information about any additional casualties as well as affected families.

Rescue 1122 said all emergency teams had been placed on high alert to respond to any further weather-related incidents. The relief operation is being supervised by District Emergency Officer Bannu Bakhtullah Wazir under directions from Rescue 1122 Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Director General Shah Fahad and Director Operations South Arif Khattak. Citizens were advised to avoid unnecessary travel in severe weather, stay away from weak or dilapidated structures and contact Rescue 1122 in case of an emergency.

Earlier, the Pakistan Meteorological Department had said in an advisory that dust storms and thunderstorms were expected in the upper parts of the country from June 2 to June 5.

The storm also caused disruption in several parts of Bannu. In March, rain-triggered building collapses in the district left eight people dead. The Provincial Disaster Management Authority had reported that those fatalities included one woman and seven children, while 42 people were injured in rain-related building collapse incidents.