The heavy rains, hail and snow beat the northern parts of the province of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa for a third consecutive day, triggering sudden floods and landslides that disturbed daily life and left several blocked key routes, local officials announced on Thursday.
The showers caused overflowing streams and rivers in the lower dir, sending water rushing into stores and houses. The meteorological system, which brought thunder, hailstorm storms and intermittent snowfall in hilly areas, has intensified cold in the region.
The superior mountain areas, including the Kumrat valley, the Lowari tunnel, the Bin Shahi, Kalpani, Asherai Dara and Jahaz Banda have experienced continuous snowfall, officials said.
In the plains, severely damaged wheat fields and fruit orchards, which raises concerns for local farmers just before the harvest season.
The Panjkora river would also have been at low flood level, while water entered the commercial areas in certain parts of the DIR district.
At the top chitral, heavy landslides and swollen streams cut access along the Booni-Mastuj road to several points, including Reshun, Zait, Kari, Istaro and Reach. Local authorities have confirmed that vehicles were blocked in certain places.
As Eid approaches, travelers were invited to postpone non -essential travel due to the risk of slides and additional road closings.
“The situation in the upper part is fragile. We urge people to be cautious,” said a district traffic manager at Express News.
Access to affected areas remains difficult and emergency services continue to deal with challenges reaching distant locations due to blocked routes.
