PESHAWAR: Two people were killed were killed as heavy rains lashed several districts of the province while a thick pall of smog engulfed the provincial capital for several hours on Monday.

The deaths were reported from Salarzai tehsil of Bajaur district after lightning struck the area at 7.45am during heavy rain, Rescue 1122 officials said.

They said the incident occurred in the mountainous Shinkargul locality located some 26 kilometres northeast of Khar, the headquarters of the district.

The residents told Dawn that the deceased, identified as Ismail Khan, 35, and his nephew Hamza Khan, 18, were grazing cattle when lightning struck them.

Rescue 1122 officials said the bodies were shifted to their homes.

Residents of hilly areas of Mamond, Salarzai and Utmankhel tehsils told Dawn on Monday that heavy rain coupled with hailstorms continued for about an hour, damaging vegetable and other crops.

The rain also blocked link roads and pathways in different areas.

Heavy rain coupled with hails lashed the Swabi district onMonday, damaging crops and inundating several areas and bazaars.

Black clouds covered the sky before the downpour and hailstones, disrupting power supply to the entire district at around 10am on Monday.

Wajid Shah, a former nazim, said roads and streets in Maneri region were covered with a white sheet after the hailstones.

`Hailstones continued to lash the area for about 40 minutes, creating panic among the people,` he said Rescue officials said rainwater entered shops in the Link Road area of the district head-quarters. They said they were using pumping machines to drain water from markets.

Rainwater also entered Meena Bazaar of Topi, Anbar, Shewa Adda and various other trading centres. In the provincial capital, a thick pall of smog engulfed the city for several hours early on Monday.

A Met Department official told Dawn that the smog resulted from the prolonged dry spell together with the sudden temperature drop. He said that visibility, which in the early hours of the day, stood at 500 meters somewhat improved to 2,000 meters during the day.The ofñcialsaid that the provincial capital was likely to receive light rain between November 14 and 16, which was likely to improve the conditions.

Abbottabad city and its surrounding areas also received rain on Monday.

Doctors said the rain would help end the viral diseases of throat infection and dry cough.

The rain caused a drop in temperature.

The upper parts of the Hazara division also received heavy rain and snow in scattered areas, turning the weather chilly.

The rain, accompanied bylightning and thunderstorms, began in the early hours and continued intermittently throughout the day in Mansehra,Torghar,Kolai-Palas, Upper Kohistan and Lower Kohistan districts.

Rivers and streams swelled following the heavy rain, but no loss of life or property was reported from across the division.

`Water level in the Kunhar, Indus and Siren rivers increased due to rain,` a local resident said.

The upper areas of the Kaghan Valley experienced the season`s second snowfall, increasing the coldin the upper parts of the division.

Indigenous communities in Battakundi, Barawal and neighbouring villages in the upper Kaghan Valley have also begun migrating to lower parts of the division to spend the winter, as the valley typically remains uninhabited throughout the season.

Traffic between Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and GilgitBaltistan was blocked during the first snowfall in the Kaghan Valley late last month.

In Shangla district, heavy rain coupled with strong winds and thunder started on Sunday night and continued till Monday evening. The upper parts also received first snowfall of the season.

The police said lightning struck a house, killing two cows and a buffalo, and partially damaging the house.

They said family members remained unhurt and moved to a neighbouring house.