• PDMA data shows 123 deaths across province since June 25; more than half of which occurred in just past two days
• Flooding alert issued for River Indus at Kalabagh, Chashma; Met Office predicts another five-day spell will hit many parts of the country tomorrow
• Officials claim to have rescued over 1,000 stuck in flooded areas across badly-hit Potohar region
LAHORE / RAWALPINDI: After ten more people lost their lives across Punjab on Friday, it emerged that more than half of all rain-related deaths in the province have occurred in just the last 48 hours.
So far, 123 people have been killed and 462 injured since June 25 as the province received record rainfall, triggering urban flooding which inundated residential areas, the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) said.
Of these, 71 deaths were reported in the past two days alone, and there will be no respite from torrential rain as the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has issued an alert for more downpours from July 20.
Another PDMA alert has warned of a high-level flood in the River Indus at Kalabagh and Chashma over the next 24 hours, with authorities being asked to take precautionary measures.
In a briefing on rescue operations carried out to evacuate people stranded in flooded areas, PDMA DG Irfan Ali Kathia said that said more than 1,000 people were shifted to safe places in the Pothohar region, including 398 in Jhelum, 209 in Chakwal, and 450 in Rawalpindi.
Death toll
Friday’s death toll includes three casualties each in Lahore and Chiniot, two in Okara and one each in Chakwal and Sargodha, according to data released by Rescue 1122 spokesperson Farooq Ahmad.
In Chakwal, bodies of two persons who were swept away in torrents were recovered on Friday, while another died after being crushed under a roof which caved due to intense downpour, according to Rescue 1122.
The district was one of the worst-affected areas as it received record rainfall over the last three days. Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif is expected to visit the district today.
According to Rescue 1122, the body of Tassaduque Hussain, who was swept away on Wednesday night in Saruli torrent near Pinwal village, was recovered near Chak Malook village on Friday noon.
The body of Abdul Rasheed, 42, who was also swept away by gushing water, was also recovered on Friday evening.
Separately, Muhamad Zubair, 36, was sleeping in a room near Aara village when a falling rock hit the roof, causing it to cave. Zubair died at the spot while the two other persons were injured.
Meanwhile, scores of villages in Chakwal were still plunged into darkness as the power supply could not be restored even after three days.
According to Iesco, 99 high tension and 48 low tension poles and 65 transformers were damaged due to intense rainfall.
