Daily Times

MUZAFFARABAD: Heavy rain and flash floods caused collateral damage and wide-scale destruction in the Neelum Valley of Azad Kashmir on Monday.

At least 23 people have gone missing, including women and children, and a dozen have been reported dead.

Local shops and houses – precisely 150 houses have been destroyed. Additionally, the cars of several tourists have gone missing. Landslides that occurred in the Lesswa area caused the demolition of several structures in the market, including two mosques.

Telecommunication lines and traffic flow have also been gravely destructed.

Rescue operations are being conducted by teams comprised of members from the disaster management team, district administration and the local police. The Chief Minister of Punjab, Usman Buzdar, reviewed the rescue measures.

The State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) Director of Operations, Syed Al-Rehman Qureshi confirmed the death toll which he said was still rising. He stated that a family of five, including one child, lost their lives as their jeep fell in the valley. Only one person survived and was admitted to a hospital.

Out of those who are missing, 11 are locals who belong to the area’s Tableeghi jamaat. Qureshi stated “We are frantically searching for more missing people.

This is a popular tourist spot so there is a strong probability of the death toll increasing.

An emergency control room has been established in Muzaffarabad to supervise and coordinate the rescue operation.”