Severe storm leaves at least 6 people dead and over 50 injured in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

At least 6 people were killed and more than 50 injured after severe storms swept through Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Tuesday, April 9, 2019.

Numerous homes were damaged or destroyed in provincial capital Peshawar and surrounding areas after heavy rain triggered flash floods, turning streets into raging rivers, downing trees and causing power outages.

Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) said 3 people were killed in Peshawar, 2 in Swabi and one person in Kohat. 42 injured were brought in different hospitals of Peshawar.

Heavy rainfall and snowfall hit several areas of Afghanistan, Pakistan and eastern Iran at the beginning of March, causing flash floods and landslides in which more than 50 people lost their lives.

As of 14:00 UTC on March 5, the death toll reached 50 people, dozens of people were injured and at least 10 remain missing. At least 25 people were reported dead in Pakistan, 20 in Afghanistan and 5 in eastern Iran.

An official said March 4 that the severe weather that started March 2 hit a large part of the province and caused destruction on a large scale.

An emergency was declared in the flooded district of Qila Abdullah by the provincial government and the army’s help was sought to aid the local administration in rescue and relief efforts. "An alert has been issued due to the alarming flood situation," said a provincial government official.

Floodwaters submerged Quetta-Sibi highway and there were reports of flash floods reaching Quetta-Karachi National Highway.

Quetta, Ziarat, Harboi, Kan Mehtarzai, Muslim Bagh, Khanozai and Khojak Pass were blanketed in snow – the Ziarat Valley recorded 1.2 m (4 feet) of snow and Harboi in Kalat district reported 60 cm (2 feet).

Featured image credit: NASA/NOAA Suomi NPP/VIIRS