20 dead in KP rains
\nFatalities in Swat River incident rises to 12; 10 people injured due to rain and flooding in province
\n SWAT
\nThe district administration in Swat on Sunday launched a large-scale operation to demolish illegal structures along the Swat River in a bid to restore the river\u2019s natural flow.
\nThe local administration swung into action following the tragic incident in which 17 people were swept away during a picnic along the Swat River due to a sudden surge in water.
\nThe fatalities in the incident on Sunday rose to 12 after the body of a child was recovered from the river in Charsadda, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
\nAccording to Rescue 1122 Swat, the child\u2019s body, swept away by floodwaters in the Swat River, was found downstream in another district.
\nMeanwhile, the restaurant owners staged a protest on the Fizagat Bypass Road against the anti-encroachment operation and blocked traffic.
\nThe protesters accused the authorities of discrimination against smaller businesses, claiming powerful hotel owners have been spared while their modest establishments were reduced to rubble.
\n\u201cWe have valid court documents,\u201d said one protester. \u201cYet our hotels were razed without any legal notice. This is a blatant injustice.\u201d
\nAmid the protests, police arrested three individuals accused of obstructing the anti-encroachment drive.
\nHowever, the district administration said that the drive will continue at all costs to prevent further disasters.
\nFurthermore, at least 20 people have been killed across KP amid heavy rainfall and landslides, according to a report by the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA).
\nThe PDMA report confirmed that another 10 people were injured due to rain and flooding, while over 50 homes in Swat were partially damaged and six destroyed.
\nFatalities were also reported in Swat, Abbottabad, Peshawar, Charsadda, Malakand and Shangla.
\nSeparately, speaking to the media in Daska, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif expressed deep sorrow over the Swat tragedy, terming the rescue operation as a \u201cbreakdown.\u201d
\n\u201cChildren were washed away in front of their parents. This is not just a natural disaster \u2014 it\u2019s a failure of preparedness,\u201d he said.
\n\u201cRescue teams came empty-handed. No preventative measures were in place,\u201d the defence minister claimed.
\nMeanwhile, adviser to the chief minister on information Barrister Mohammad Ali Saif accused Punjab CM Maryam Nawaz of politicising the tragedy. \u201cWhile she criticises Ali Amin Gandapur, the healthcare crisis in Punjab is being ignored,\u201d he claimed.
\nHe praised KP CM for promptly suspending six officials over their alleged negligence during the floods.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
20 dead in KP rains Fatalities in Swat River incident rises to 12; 10 people injured due to rain and flooding in province SWAT The district administration in Swat on Sunday launched a large-scale operation to demolish illegal structures along the Swat River in a bid to restore the river\u2019s natural flow. The local administration […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-487334","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-top-news"},"yoast_head":"\n