KP schools closed on August 19, due to sudden floods

Peshawar:

All government and private schools in the cold and mountainous regions of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) have been closed for a week after clouds, heavy rains and sudden floods caused a significant loss of lives and properties throughout the province, with 341 people killed so far, officials said on Monday.

The Minister of Education, Faisal Khan Tarakai, confirmed the closure by sharing the official notification about X. “Educational institutions in cold mountainous areas will remain closed from August 19 to 25, therefore, all educational activities will continue at home or online,” he added.

The authorities clarified that summer holidays in these regions at great altitude normally last only one month, from July 1 to 31. Meanwhile, schools in the plains and low areas of the province are currently observing summer holidays until August 31.

The closure is produced as part of the preventive measures to guarantee the safety of students in the midst of severe climate forecasts and potential sudden floods in the region.

It is pertinent to mention that a powerful cloud, accompanied by sudden floods and rays, hit the remote mountainous towns on Monday in the Swabi district, killing at least 25 people and hurting another 35, authorities said.

The worst affected areas include Dalori Bala and Sarkoi Payan in the region of Gadoon Amazai, where dozens of houses collapsed under the force of flood waters. Many residents were trapped under the rubble.

Read more: Mortal cloudburst, floods in Swabi kill at least 25

Swabi’s attached commissioner, Nasrullah Khan, said: “In Dalori bullet alone, 20 people have died, including women, children and the elderly. The number of total deaths in the area has reached 25. Finally, ten bodies and six injured were recovered.”

On the other hand, the president of the Lieutenant General of the National Authority for Disaster Management, Inam Haider, Malik, said that at least 670 people have died and that another 1,000 have been injured in recent rains, floods and landslides throughout the country.

Informing the reporters together with the Minister of Information, Attaullah Tarar and the Minister of Climate Change, Musadik Malik, said that two or three more monzón spells are expected, and it is likely that the current spell will continue until Friday. He added that the situation is expected to be normalized at the end of September.