PESHAWAR/ISLAMABAD/LAHORE - The death toll caused by heavy rain and thunderstorm, also dubbed as ‘mini-cyclone’, in Peshawar, Charsadda and Nowshera rose to 45 as four more people expired at Lady Reading Hospital Peshawar on Monday, with the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) forecasting more rains on Tuesday and in the days ahead.
Dozens were still under treatment at different hospitals of the province.
Islamabad, Rawalpindi and adjoining areas also experienced downpour on Monday, while it was overcast in Lahore. There were reports that the adjoining areas of Lahore faced strong winds and sporadic showers.
Met office said widespread rain and thundershowers coupled with gusty winds were likely to occur in Peshawar, Mardan, Malakand and Hazara divisions along with Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan during the next 12 to 24 hours.
The Meteorological Department said that weather was unstable in the country, and two more weather systems were expected to approach upper parts of the country in next 10 days.
Scattered rain with dust-thunderstorm was also expected in North Punjab (Islamabad/Rawalpindi and Sargodha divisions) during current week and again during first week of May.
According to a spokesman of Lady Reading Hospital Peshawar, the number of dead rose to 29 while 26 injured were still admitted in various wards of the hospital.
Provincial Disaster Management Authority has declared an alert across the province and they are coordinating with deputy commissioners of each district in case of any emergency. The emergency control of PDMA has been put on high alert and additional staff has been deployed to deal the situation.
The PDMA has handed over 500 blankets and 5,000 food items to district administration Peshawar. The PDMA is also collecting data to ensure early relief and compensation to the affected families.
Pakistan Army has deployed 20 teams consisting of 500 officers and jawans to help in relief and rescue activities in the mini-cyclone affected areas. A mobile hospital and a team of expert doctors of Pakistan Army along with paramedical staff were providing relief to victim of the rainstorm.
Deputy Director Metrological department Aleem-ul-Hasan and Civil Aviation Authority spokesman Sher Ali told media persons that a modern radar was being installed in Mardan to make prediction about any cyclone-like situation in 425 kilometer area around it.
Moreover, Falah-i-Insaniyat Foundation and Bahria Town rescue teams were also busy in relief operations in the rain-affected areas of Peshawar.
Doctors and paramedical staff of Bahria Town rescue team headed by Col (r) Pakistan Army troops also remained busy on Monday in rescue and relief operations retrieving injured from the collapsed houses. They were also cutting trees on Charsadda Road and Paha Ghulam areas to restore traffic.
Pesco officials were successful in restoring electricity in 60 percent areas hit by blackouts due to heavy rains while work on the remaining portion was underway in various parts of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Peshawar.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif has directed chairman National Disaster Management Authority to expedite rescue and relief activities in the rain-affected areas of KP.
The prime minister, who is in London, issued the directives by telephone. He said no laxity would be tolerated in providing relief to the affected people.
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister has directed provincial ministers and MPAs to visit the affected areas and monitor relief activities.
The Provincial Disaster Management Authority has dispatched teams to provide relief and assess damages in Peshawar, Nowshera and Charsadda.
The provincial government has announced a compensation of Rs 500,000 for family of each deceased.
The injured include nearly 100 children, according to officials, while farmers have seen their produce badly affected.
“At least 44 people have been killed and 202 wounded. The storm followed by heavy rain and hailstorm has severely damaged wheat crops and orchards,” Provincial Information Minister Mushtaq Ghani told AFP.
Ghani said that authorities were estimating the losses and expressed fear that hundreds of cattle have been killed.  Electricity was still suspended in many areas of Peshawar and in parts of Nowshera and Charsadda. Ghani said at least 30 people were killed in Peshawar, 10 in Charsadda and five in Nowshera.
Aamir Afaq, a senior official of the provincial disaster management authority, confirmed the death toll and told AFP that efforts were underway “to provide food, shelters and emergency medical services to the affectees”.
An AFP reporter in Peshawar said rescue workers were removing fallen trees to open roads while engineers from mobile phone companies were repairing the towers.
Many of the more than 200 killed in last year’s heavy monsoon rains died after roofs collapsed.