HARNAI: At least eight people were dead and five others were injured as rain, flash floods wreaked havoc in Balochistan’s Harnai district on Saturday.
In the district’s most famous picnic point, Zard Aloo, six cars were drowned, Levies officials said, adding that at least 21 people were on board.
“Out of them eight are dead, five are injured; whereas search for eight others is underway,” Levies officials said.
Talking to DawnNews, Balochistan Home Minister Mir Sarfaraz Ahmed Bugti said Frontier Corps (FC) and Levies Force were busy in carrying out rescue operation in the area.
“Rain, flash floods are natural disasters. This is not an incident of terrorism and we regret every life lost,” he said while responding to a question blaming his government for not preparing beforehand for expected rains.
Pakistan Meteorological Department has predicted more rain during regular intervals in different districts of the province.
Earlier in June, thousands of people were rendered homeless after the washing away of their mud-houses. Moreover, many villages were submerged by floodwater following massive downpour for two days in different areas of Kachhi, Kalat and Lasbela districts.
The Nari river was in high flood after experiencing torrential rainfall in its catchment areas situated in the mountainous area of Harnai and Shahrag.
The floodwater had entered different areas of Kachhi district, destroying over 200 houses in Fatovani village of Bhagh tehsil where hundreds of people and animals were reported to be stranded.
Severe weather hits the country every year, with hundreds killed and huge tracts of prime farmland destroyed in recent years.
During the rainy season last summer, torrential downpours and flooding killed 81 people and affected almost 300,000 people across the country.
