NEELUM (Kashmir English): A young boy was swept away in the Seri Barian drain during a heavy rain spell in Neelum district of Azad Kashmir late Tuesday night.
District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) Neelum said that the 22-year-old victim, identified as Zeeshan, was swept away while crossing a drain, and an operation is underway to find his body.
The authority said that the information was not received timely manner due to the disruption of phone service at night.
In the morning, the in-charge of Police Post Jora Bandi has sent a written report to DDMA Neelum, confirming the unfortunate incident.
In addition to that, the Highway Department has confirmed that the main Neelum Highway has been reopened to traffic.
“Travelers should travel with caution, but avoid traveling during evening and night hours,” the department said in a message on Facebook. Earlier yesterday, the main road was closed to all traffic due to the heavy rain.
SDMA confirmed that the cloudburst also occurred in the Magri Mali, and Leswa areas.
On Tuesday afternoon, three women lost their lives and a man went missing while several properties were damaged after a flash flood triggered by a cloudburst in Khaitar Bankhador and Balgran village of Muzaffarabad.
State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) confirmed that the victims, Zaiwar Jan, 75, and her daughter Shireen Bibi, 35, died when the raging current swept into their house and filled it with mud in Balgran.
Another woman, identified as 35-year-old Gori Bibi, 35, resident of Khaitar, succumbed to injuries in the Tehsil Headquarters Hospital in Patikka. Gori Bibi’s father, 65-year-old Jalal Deen, was reported missing.
Around 20-25 houses were destroyed, and a mosque was partially damaged, the authority said. Teams from local Rescue 1122, the police, and volunteers quickly arrived in the area to help with search and rescue.
