ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, July 16 (NNN-PPI) – The Pakistani military, recovered 52 people, during a rescue operation, in a remote village of Pakistan-controlled Kashmir, where torrential rains, triggered off by cloud burst, wrecked havoc early on Monday, an army statement said.
Fifty-two stranded individuals have been evacuated to camps and safer places. Search operation for drowned persons is in progress. Relief effort also includes provision of food, rations and medical care, the army’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations said, on its website.
Local media reports said, 22 people, including two security personnel, nine locals and 11 preachers, who were staying in a mosque, were killed, after being wiped out by flash flood in the region.
The State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA), the body which is responsible for handling emergency situation in Kashmir, is leading the operation, with assistance of the federal National Disaster Management Authority and the military.
Talking to reporters, Saeed ur Rehman Qureshi, director of operations at the SDMA, confirmed that 150 houses and two mosques were washed away by the flash flood.
“Some 22 people were washed away with their houses. We do not want to confirm it yet, but all evidences collected from the incident site, reveal the unfortunate fact that the missing people are no more.”
He added that the incident happened in a remote village in the region, so the dead or trapped people, did not include any local or foreign tourist, except the preachers, who were swept away with the mosque.
Explaining cloud burst, Muhammad Riaz, the director general of Pakistan Meteorological Department, said that, such weather pattern is very rare, occurring during the monsoon season and it happens when warm air mixes with cold monsoon air.
He said that they had already issued weather advisory to the area, suggesting the authorities to be prepared for untoward situation, as heavy rains were expected in the area, but cloud burst was not expected, as it is very difficult to forecast.– NNN-PPI