ABBOTTABAD: Torrential rains created havoc in the Hazara division as flash floods confined people to their homes and washed away various roads and bridges in three districts of the region.
Connecting bridge on River Siran at Baffa Maira has been destroyed and hundreds of thousands of people on both sides of the river have been trapped. Floodwater also entered the residential areas of a number of cities of Abbottabad, Mansehra and Battagram districts, damaging property and infrastructure.
The Thandyani road in Abbottabad district was badly damaged by the continuous hours-long heavy downpour, while also causing landsliding and flash flood at many places. The district administration has directed the tourists and locals to avoid traveling during the inclement weather.
Moreover, ravines and nullahs in Baffa city were also flooded, as people desperately escaped waves five feet high. Their furniture and electronic items were rendered useless as floodwater entered inside their homes. The heavy rains and flash flood also damaged the retaining walls of Baffa Hospital, while also destroying schools. Fortunately, no causality has been reported. It must be mentioned that the safety walls of River Siran have also been damaged.
Likewise, in Abbottabad city, continuous heavy rains triggered flash floods that entered many residential areas. The Main Mansehra road was blocked from Supply Bazar to Ayub Medical Complex where Rescue 1122 teams were engaged in recovering cars trapped in the food.
The district administration, the tehsil chairman Abbottabad and cantonment board officials supervised the operation for opening the choked nullahs and drainage system.
Landslides are frequent during the Monsoon season. There were incidents of landsliding in the hilly areas of Hazara division, causing some of the roads to block.
More rains have been forecast during the next week by the Meteorology department.