TORGHAR: At least 14 people died and two other were injured when lightning struck three houses of Torghar (Hazara). 

Assistant Commissioner of the region Azhar Zahoor while talking to NPTV stated that he was personally supervising the rescue operation and the injured had been moved to a medical facility and roads were also cleared for traffic. The affected families would be facilitated, and tents and foods would be provided to them.

In the incident, 12 people from the families of two real brothers have lost their lives while the remaining two people were from the third neighboring house. Locals and Torghar police have continued rescue operation where they recovered 11 dead bodies including Shahzad Omer son of Said Omer, Shah Nawaz Khan son of Shahzad, Gul Ladina Bibi, Alaf Said wife of Gul Malook, Anwar son of Sheeraz, minor girl Asia Bibi, teenage boy Bakht Nawaz Khan, teenage girl Bakht Raz, minor girl Rubina Bibi and minor girl Umaira Bibi.

Police and locals immediately commenced rescue work as due to torrential rains several houses collapsed. They managed to take three children out of the rubble alive.  Relief efforts were hampered as a number of roads had been washed away due to the rains. According to sources roof of a shop collapsed in Tehsil Lachi, 7 people went missing near Kohat after being swept away in the rain drain,  in the Upper Dir district two tourists died when the vehicle they were travelling in was swept away due to flood caused by rain.

Speaking about the tragic aftermaths of the torrential rain Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Mahmood Khan has stated that he had directed the rescue departments and officials of the district administration to reach the affected site at their earliest and begin relief efforts. Expressing sympathy with the affected families he said that the Provincial Govt would not leave them alone in this difficult time and would be helped in all the possible ways.

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