Seven dead as rains, flash floods ravage Balochistan

• Embankment breach in Kachhi destroys over 100 houses; 400 acres of farmland submerged
• Major roads, highways washed away; multiple internal roads blocked

QUETTA / DERA MURAD JAMALI: Rains and flash floods have caused widespread devastation across Balochistan, leaving seven people dead, four injured, and hundr­e­­ds of homes, livestock, and crops destroyed, according to the Provincial Disa­ster Management Authority.

The floods have severely affected districts, including Harnai, Kohlu, Turbat, Jaffarabad, Loralai, Kach­­hi, Nasirabad, Jhal Magsi, Dera Bugti, Sibi, and Bolan.

The PDMA report indicated that an embankm­e­­nt breach in Balanari, Ka­­chhi, destroyed over 100 houses, killed more than 50 livestock, and submer­ged approximately 400 acres of agricultural land. In Harnai and Qila Abd­ullah, around 100 houses were damaged, while the Gandawah–Notal road in Jhal Magsi was blocked by flood surges. Lightning strikes claimed two lives in Loralai and Kachhi, while one person died in Kohlu due to a roof coll­a­pse, another in Loralai due to a wall collapse, a child drowned in Jaffa­r­abad, and two people were swept away in Kech.

Heavy rainfall also da­­maged major roads. Sec­tions of the Harnai-Quetta and Quetta-Sanjawi natio­nal highways were washed away, and multiple internal roads were affected. Streams in Harnai and Chaman experienced flash floods, disrupting daily life.

The PDMA confirmed that emergency teams, in coordination with district administrations, are conducting rescue and relief operations.

In Qila Abdullah, a mini-coach carrying 15 women and children was trapped in floodwaters but rescued under the supervision of the Deputy Com­missioner with PDMA assistance. Rescue operations continue in Goth Taj Habib and Goth Balochani in Kachhi, where embankment repairs are underway.

Thousands of livestock have died, and standing crops, including wheat, chickpeas, and mustard, have been destroyed. Roads connecting Notal, Gandawah, Bolan, Yarokazoi, and Jhal Magsi have been cut off, isolating communities and halting traffic between Sindh and Balochistan.

Published in Dawn, April 3rd, 2026



from Dawn - Home https://ift.tt/FziuO5w

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

D.G. Khan lawlessness

THE latest attack this week on a D.G. Khan cement factory convoy by the notorious Ladi gang , which clearly intended to kidnap employees and extort ransom from the factory management, underscores the deteriorating law and order conditions in the district. The raid by criminals armed with automatic weapons, which followed a string of over 30 attacks on police in the area in the first half of 2025 by the banned TTP, is a grim reminder of the ever-deepening security vacuum in the area amid a jurisdictional dispute between law-enforcement agencies. The raid is evidence of the growing nexus between militant outfits operating in the area and local criminal gangs, often backed by powerful local tribal elders and politicians. Spiralling lawlessness underlined by numerous gang assaults on industrial establishments — as well as the kidnapping and killing of factory staff — in recent years speaks volumes for the operational freedom these gangs and militant outfits enjoy in the area. More dis...
Read more

Can Donald Trump serve a third term as US president?

President Donald Trump on Monday declined to dismiss speculation that he would seek a third term and said he hadn’t considered whether he would go to court to contest the US constitution’s two-term limit for presidents. Here is a look at the legal barriers Trump faces. What does the US constitution say? The 22nd Amendment states in part: “No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice.” The amendment was ratified in 1951 after President Franklin D. Roosevelt broke with a self-imposed two-term limit set by presidents since George Washington, the nation’s first. Roosevelt, a Democrat who was president during the Great Depression and World War Two, served a third term and then died months into his fourth term in 1945. Wayne Unger, a law professor at Quinnipiac University, said the Constitution was clear that presidents are limited to two terms of four years each. He said that while that had not been tested in court, any challenge by Trump would likely be ...
Read more

Iran’s ‘calculated response’ helps US declare ‘peace in Middle East’

• Qatar emerges as dealmaker, helping broker US contacts with Iranian regime • Questions linger over terms of ceasefire, future of Tehran’s nuclear ambitions DOHA / WASHINGTON: Iran’s ‘ strike ’ on the US military base in Qatar was carefully calculated to provide an exit from hostilities with Washington and set up a truce with Israel, according to analysts and officials with knowledge of the matter. The missile launches were signalled well in advance, minimising the risk of injury and giving every opportunity to shoot down the projectiles — resulting in a fireworks display of booms and flashes above Doha. They followed heavy US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities at the weekend, a sudden escalation that raised concerns about how Tehran would respond after more than a week of exchanges with Israel. It would seem that Qatar, located across the Persian Gulf, held the answer in the form of Al Udeid, the Middle East’s biggest US base and headquarters of its regional command. Target...
Read more