Rain And Cold Take Deadly Toll In Pakistan

THE STANS

The Pakistan Meteorological Department forecast more rain and snow in the Kashmir region during the next 24 hours, with temperatures dipping as low as -8 degrees Celsius (17.6 Fahrenheit) in the highest villages.

by Staff Writers
Muzaffarabad (AFP) Dec 05, 2006
Heavy rains and cold weather have killed more than 20 people across Pakistan and triggered landslides in earthquake-hit Pakistani Kashmir, officials said Tuesday. Two key roads were blocked by landslips resulting from continued rain and snow in the Himalayan region, where an earthquake in October, 2005, killed more than 73,000 people and left more than three million homeless.

Three children died of diarrhea and pneumonia near Muzaffarabad, the regional capital, while many others were sick because of the freezing conditions, district health officer doctor Sardar Mahmood said.

Police said a couple died in the Kashmiri town of Hajira late Monday when the roof of their home collapsed. A landslide killed a labourer at Chinari Bazar, 45 kilometers (28 miles) south of Muzaffarabad, the regional capital.

Engineering teams equipped with bulldozers and heavy earthmoving equipment were working flat-out in rough weather to clear landslides and open all roads as quickly as possible, officials said.

The blocked Neelam and Jhelum valley roads out of Muzaffarabad are vital to get supplies to more than 30,000 quake survivors who are spending a second harsh Himalayan winter in tents.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department forecast more rain and snow in the region during the next 24 hours, with temperatures dipping as low as -8 degrees Celsius (17.6 Fahrenheit) in the highest villages.

Meanwhile, seven children were killed in separate roof collapses on the outskirts of Peshawar in neighbouring North West Frontier Province and in the tribal district of Bajaur, bordering Afghanistan.

Police in the southern port city of Karachi said five people had died from electrocution by loose cables in flooded areas or from cold-related illnesses.

Five people were swept away by floods early Monday at Ornath village in Khuzdar district, some 450 kilometres (280 miles) southwest of Quetta, a paramilitary official said.

Source: Agence France-Presse

THE STANS

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