Heavy snowfall and rains have killed around 10 people indifferent parts of Balochistan province, with nearly 1,500 stranded familiesrescued by Pakistan Army helicopters.
Rescue officials said heavy flooding caused by rains andsnowfall had affected most parts of Chaman, Bolan, Khuzdar, Pishin, Lasbela,Dalbandin, Qila Abdullah, Khuzdar and Kech, where hundreds of families wererendered homeless after their houses were swept away.
“We have reports of some 10 deaths from different areas dueto the extreme weather conditions,” an official said.
The media has reported around two dozen deaths due tosnowfall, rains and flooding in other parts of Pakistan, which is witnessing anunusually long winter.
The official said two children of a family were killed andtheir parents injured in Chaman when the roof of their house caved in, whileheavy downpour in Khuzdar led to the collapse of a house, killing threechildren and injuring others.
He added that deaths were also reported from Bolan due totorrential rains and due to flooding in Mastung and Uthal, Lasbela.
“Two persons got swept away in floodwaters and are feareddead in Dalbindin and Pishin, while a coaster carrying 42 pilgrims to the ShahNoorani shrine in Lasbela was swept away by heavy flooding but later, thepilgrims were rescued with some of them injured,” another official said.
Security forces were moved to assist the civiladministration in rescue-and-relief operations for flood victims in variousparts of the province, the military’s media wing said on Sunday.
An update shared by the Inter-Services Public Relations(ISPR) said nearly 1,500 families had been rescued by Pakistan Army aviationhelicopters in the Dureji (Lasbela) and Qila Abdullah areas. Also, rations havebeen provided to some 3,500 families in the rain-affected areas of theprovince.
Additionally, security forces have rescued the vehicles thatwere stranded at different places in the province.