Islamabad—Scores of people have been killed across the country in the devastating torrential rains and flash floods with Met Office forecasting more rains during the monsoon season which would continue during August.

According to reports received from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, atleast over four hundred people have been killed and several injured in heavy rains and flash floods in different parts of the province. The flash floods washed away several bridges and roads and destroyed standing crops in some parts of the province.

The relief operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are in full swing with boats and helicopters ferrying people to safer places.

GT road from Jahengira to Peshawar is closed for traffic as A portion of the road was inundated with flood waters.

Traffic is suspended between Peshawar and Islamabad as a bridge over river Jindi in Charsadda has been badly damaged due to flood water.

Pakistan Army rescue teams have so far evacuated more than ten thousand stranded people from flooded areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The efforts are underway to rescue two thousand eight hundred trapped tourists at Kalam in Swat.

The ISPR says, twenty helicopters of Pakistan Army have been pressed into action to evacuate the stranded people. Eight naval marine teams had also reached the affected areas to take part in the rescue and relief operations.

Pakistan Army has distributed more than one thousand tents and fifty tons of ration among the affectees. Army engineers are busy to lay reserve bridges in the flood affected areas .

In Hazara Division, Kakrakoram Highway has been blocked due to landslide in Kohistan District.

Mansehra Naran highway has also been blocked due to floods and landslides in Balakoat.

Tourists have been stranded at Shogran, Kaghan and Naran vallies as the traffic has been suspended on the road.

A number of other roads have also been damaged in landslides in Mansehra, Kohistan and Batagram districts.

According to official sources Pakistan Army is making efforts to evacuate over two hundred and twenty Chinese engineers stranded at Pattan Chaki in Kohistan. The Chinese were working on a hydel power project in the district.

In Nowshera, the flood waters inundated several villages.

The Provincial Disaster Management Authority has started helicopter service to rescue the stranded people.

In Charsadda District, most of the areas have been inundated by the flood water gushing out of River Swat. Several bridges and link roads have been destroyed.

Relief camps have been established and stranded people are being evacuated by helicopters and boats.

In Lower Dir, a 132 KV transmission line linking Malakand Division with the National Grid has collapsed resulting in power outage in the areas connected with the grid. The Pakistan Army teams are undertaking operation to evacuate the stranded people to safer areas.

Meanwhile, in Rajanpur and Dera Ghazi Khan more than one hundred and sixty villages have been badly affected by torrential rains and floods. The people in the low lying areas have been advised to move to safer places.

Pakistan Air Force is also taking part in the ongoing rescue and relief operations in flood affected areas of Khyber Pakhtoonkhawa.

C-130 aircraft of PAF have transported thirty small and medium size boats from PAF Base Faisal Karachi to PAF Academy Risalpur for relief operations.

One thousand people were rescued from various areas of Risalpur and provided relief in PAF Academy.

PAF also handed over two helicopters to NDMA for rescue and relief operations.

An MI-17 helicopter of PAF has also been dispatched from Karachi to Khyber Pakhtoonkhawa to participate in relief operations.

In Balochistan a number of houses have been damaged in Sibi district as a result of torrential rains and floods.

The houses and property were damaged in several other parts of the province including Zhob, Bolan, Dera Murad Jamali, Dera Allahyar, Kohlu and Barkhan districts due to floods caused by rains.

In Muzaffarabad, fifty-eight residential houses and two hundred and fifty shops were damaged by the flash floods and heavy rains.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan, Anne W. Patterson, has announced that as an initial response to floods in Pakistan, her government is immediately providing seven helicopters to assist in relief efforts.

Courtesy by pakistanobsever.com