KP govt okays Rs6m for rescue operation

Iftikhar appeals affectees to leave homes at earliest

PESHAWAR: The provincial government has approved Rs6 million for carrying out a grand rescue operation in the flood-affected parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa where scores of people have been killed so far in rain and flood related incidents.

This was stated by Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain during a press conference here Thursday. 

Speaking on the occasion, Mian Iftikhar said that the government had already declared emergency in the province and a massive rescue operation would be launched for which funds had been approved.

He further said that flood affectees would not be left in the lurch and would be provided full assistance despite financial constraints, saying that special teams had been formed to effectively run the rescue campaign. 

The minister feared that the new spell of rains might wreak inconceivable havoc in the flood-hit areas, particularly in the provincial metropolis, which had already received record downpour during last 48 hours. 

He appealed to dwellers of those localities vulnerable to flashflood to immediately leave their homes and move to safer places for avoiding further destruction both in terms of human and material losses. 

Giving details about the damages in various parts of the province, Iftikhar informed that flood claimed 24 lives besides injuring 30 in Shangla, nine killed in Upper Dir, six in Alai while six in Batagram district, saying that a bridge was partially damaged in Hangu district.

The minister also directed the departments concerned to provide relief to flood victims forthwith. - Online