At least 25 dead as Pakistan dam bursts (Villages 'washed away)

DAWN - Pakistan -

Heavy rains break dam in Balochistan

By Our Staff Reporter

QUETTA, Feb 10: Heavy rains washed away Shadi Kor dam in the coastal area of Makran and vast area of Pasni sub-division. The water could also hit Pasni township. Many people are feared dead.
The coastal highway linking Pasni with Karachi and Gwadar was also washed away at various places while Pasni airport has been closed for air traffic as runway has come under water.
The provincial government has declared emergency in the area and army and navy was called out for launching relief operation in the affected areas. Pasni and many other coastal areas had been cut off by road and air from the rest of the country. The power supply, telephone lines have been disrupted. The flood-water also entered in the gird station of Pasni damaging generators.
"Two villages Sindhipuso and Turati were completely submerged as they were close to the dam area having around 700 population," Syed Sher Jan Baloch, a provincial minister told Dawn. He added that hundreds of people were missing while coast guards had recovered many bodies from the sea.
The house of Provincial Minister Sher Jan Baloch was also washed away in the dam water. However, the people of the area saved his family members. According to reports at least 26 people including three personnel of coastal guards were washed away in the flood water. The dam water entered the Pasni township forcing the people to shift to safer places.
"Half of the Pasni is under three to four feet water," Abdul Razaq said and added that people climbed on rooftops of their houses to save their lives.
Some sources said that a Pasni-bound passenger bus carrying 45 people from Turbat was also missing after breaking of Shadi kor dam. The bus could not reach at its destination till late evening, official sources said confirmed.
According to reports the flood water is stored at the Shadi Kor dam, some 40km from Pasni for the last four days and on Thursday noon it started overflowing. The people of the area informed the official concerned about the situation but before taking any step the dam broke down and washed away around 3.30om.
The gushing water of the dam reached Pasni town within four hours washing away many small villages in the area.
According to another report the two villages of Ormara township were also inundated due to heavy flood in Basol river while heavy rains also hit some other areas of the central Balochistan including Awaran, Sibi, Bolan, Nushki and Hub area.
Navy and coast guards have launched relief operation in the affected areas. They were evacuating the people through helicopters from affected areas. The army troops were also moved to the affected areas for taking part in the operation.
Edhi Foundation sent its helicopters and relief workers along with boasts in the affected areas for helping out the people.

The News International - Pakistan -

700 missing; several villages, roads, bridges washed away;

45 killed in NWFP rain-related incidents
By Muhammad Ejaz Khan
QUETTA: A flash flood washed away the Shadi Kor dam in Pasni Tehsil of the Gwadar district on Thursday, marooning thousands of people, a minister said.
Over 700 residents of Sindhi Paso and Turati villages were missing, some of them feared dead, as gushing floodwaters swept their villages after the dam burst, Balochistan Minister Syed Sher Jan Baloch told The News. There were reports that at least 26 people have died.
"The Shadi Kor dam was washed away around 7:00 pm because of accumulation of rainwater beyond its capacity. Half the Pasni Tehsil’s population (of 5,000) is now trapped in the floodwater," said the minister, who also belongs to the Pasni Tehsil. "I have received the information about the killing of 26 people and some of the bodies have been recovered," the minister added.
The recent spell of rains has played havoc with life and property in various parts of Balochistan, washing away a number of bridges and some human settlements, besides destroying several houses and inundating crops over a vast tract in Kharan and Awaran areas. The minister said that a 40 kilometres long portion of the newly-constructed Makran coastal highway was also washed away. The flash flood also affected the Babar Shor area.
Witnesses said that after the dam burst, the floodwater entered Pasni town and adjacent areas. Sources said that two villages of Pasni, Sindhi Paso and Turati, have been wiped out. Around 700 souls of these villages are missing and several among them are feared dead.
Some reports from Awaran district said that hundreds of houses had collapsed and the Cheel bridge was washed away in the area. A number of houses have also collapsed in the Kharan area. A woman was reportedly killed due to lightning in Awaran.
The road network between various areas ie, Kharan-Mashkel, Basima-Khuzdar, Quetta-Kharan was also disrupted, suspending all kinds of traffic on the routes. Following the suspension of traffic between the areas, a shortage of food has been reported in the affected areas.
The Nazim Awaran, Khair Jan, told this correspondent that the standing crops of wheat and onion on around 40,000 acres of land have been destroyed and a number of cattle have been swept away.
Emergency has been declared in the Pasni, Awaran and Kharan areas, following the losses caused to the human settlements. Officials said a massive rescue effort has been started. The Shadi Kor dam was completed in 2003 at a cost of Rs 45 million, 40 kms southwest of Pasni in district Gwadar. The dam is 485 feet long and 50 feet high and its discharge capacity is 120,000 cusecs, while the spillway is 600 feet wide.
The dam had a storage capacity of 48,000 acre feet and its catchment area is 1,100 square miles. About 120,000 cusecs of floodwater could also be discharged from the dam and about 190,000 acre feet water was available for agricultural purposes benefiting 350 families, they added.
Expressing his deep grief over the human and property losses in Pasni and other parts of the province, Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Muhammad Yousuf ordered the establishment of an emergency cell in the Chief Minister Secretariat here. He directed the officials concerned to monitor the situation and urgently adopt all necessary measures to overcome the situation.
Behroz Khan adds from Peshawar: As many as 45 people have been killed, 22 others injured and dozens of houses collapsed due to continuous rains and related incidents in different parts of NWFP, reports reaching here said Thursday.
The rain and snowfall played havoc in most of the northeastern and northern mountainous parts of the province, where 16 persons in Hazara and Malakand were confirmed dead while rescue work was continuing in Dalan area near Madyan, Swat to recover as many as 10 more persons buried alive under a huge avalanche that hit the house of one Samdar.
Locals informed our correspondent in Mingora, that four bodies have been recovered while 10 more persons, belonging to three families of the same clan, were under the debris. Seven persons including five children were killed in Mardan district while as many people were injured when the rooftops of their houses caved in at Takht Bhai, Lund Khwar and Madey Baba areas of Mardan district.
Takht Bhai-based journalist Muslim Shah reported that three daughters of Muhammad Nazeer died when the rooftop of his house caved in due to heavy rains in Madey Baba area on Wednesday night. The dead included Zeenat Bibi, Shabana and Nazia while the wife, mother, son and two daughters of Nazeer received serious injuries.
Two women died in Shibla village of Lund Khwar tehsil when the house of Ghulam Muhammad collapsed resulting in the killing of his mother, Rahmania (75) and his wife, Bacha Zarina (55).
In Chitral village of the district, a seven-year-old boy, Nigar, was killed when the rooftop of a house caved in, while in another house collapse incident in Pir Sado area one Khalil (5) was killed while his father, Ajmal, injured.
An avalanche in Kand Bala village of Hal Kot Union Council of Mansehra district played havoc with the family of one Muhammad Yaqub. Five members of his family were killed and three others injured when the avalanche fell on his house Wednesday night. Dozens of cattle heads were reported killed and scores of houses were damaged in the incident.
The dead included Muhammad Yaqub, his wife Nasibo, son Zahoor and daughter Boby. Touching scenes were witnessed during funeral of the dead in heavy rain. One Muhtaj Bibi was killed when the rooftop of her house caved in at Ghazi Kot area of Mansehra, which also killed her cattle heads.
The closure of roads including Karakoram Highway beyond Kohistan has caused shortage of food and other items of daily use, locals said. Four persons were reported killed and five houses and a mosque collapsed due to avalanches and landslides in Battagram district, which is in the grip of a severe clod wave.
The house of one Gulkhanuddin was hit in the middle of the night by an avalanche burring him and his three sons Nasruddin, Musharaffuddin and Sharifuddin alive. Locals recovered the bodies after several hours of hectic efforts. The overland link of the district with the rest of the country has been cut off due to closure of roads.
In another incident, the mud-house of one Fazle Haq caved in at Komila, situated on the main Karakoram Highway in Kohistan district killing his 13-year-old daughter and injuring four other persons including Shah Zadgai, Maien, Abdul Qadar and Asar Jan. Local rescued the injured.
In another incident of house collapse in village Pind Kargo Khan in Abbottabad district, two young brothers were buried under the debris when the roof of their katcha house collapsed late Wednesday night. The victims were identified as Faisal (11) and Shah Zeb (13) sons of Pervez.
Similarly one Saddam was killed while his brother Nawaz sustained injuries when their house crashed at Devili near Shinkiari Tuesday. The body of a man removing snow was also found near Donga Gali. The deceased was hit by an avalanche.
Four people including three women also sustained injuries when a passenger Bus No 2593/Peshawar met an accident at village Richbehan, some 25 kilometres from here. One of the passengers, Ajmal received severe injuries and was admitted to Ayub Hospital Complex while three female passengers sustained minor injuries.
The 14 days long wet spell and heavy snowfall has paralysed daily life in most parts of Abbottabad and Mansehra districts. People are facing acute shortage of food and edibles. Almost 10 union councils of Abbottabad district including Nathiagali, Namli Maira, Nagri Bala, Nambal, Plak, Sarbhana, Beeran Gali, Bakoat, Seer Gharbi and Nagri Tutial are under direct threat and facing severe shortage of food and fuel amid continuing rain, heavy snowfall and severe cold. Most of the areas have no communication links with rest of the country as telephone and electricity supply have disconnected while all main and links roads blocked. Abbottabad-Murree road has been completely blocked from Bara Gali while none of the link roads is open for any kind of traffic.
People from all walks of life have appealed to the Federal and NWFP government to rush immediate relief to the people of snow-covered areas of Abbottabad and Mansehra districts, where hundreds of villagers are facing acute shortage of edibles and fuel.
Four houses were reported to have collapsed in Gadezai tehsil of Buner district, but no casualties were reported. Pir Baba police said the house of one Ismael in Jaokhela and three mud-houses owned by Fazal Rashid in Malang Dara collapsed due to heavy rains.
In a related incident, a mud-house used as shelter for cattle caught fire in Mangal Tana area of the district, resulting in the burning of seven cattle heads owned by Bakht Jehan. Police said the keeper made fire inside the cattle shed which spread on to the roof and burnt the cattle heads.

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