PESHAWAR: Five more people were killed in rain-related incidents in several Khyber Pakhtunkhwa districts on Wednesday, taking the death toll since Monday to 15.

The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) confirmed another death from rain and floods in Swat, increasing the district`s overall death count to seven.

Also, Buner district reported two deaths due to lightning, according to it.

Two children drowned in ditches filled with rainwater in Charsadda district on Wednesday.

Rescue 1122 said that one death was reported in Parang tehsil and the other in Shabgadar tehsil.

Parang residents took the child`s body to Farooq Azam Chowk and staged a sit-in for around two hours. They com-plained about the failure of municipal authorities to ensure water drainage despite repeated requests.

The protesters dispersed after officials of the district administration assured them of the early resolution of the issue.

Meanwhile,rain continued to batter upper parts of Hazara division on Wednesday, with the accompanying strong windstorms uprooting trees.

The Karakoram Highway was inundated after the Indus River overflowed, suspending traffic between Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan in the Upper Kohistan district.

The ongoing second spell of monsoon rains, which began threedaysago,lashedMansehra, Torghar, Upper and Lower Kohistan and Kolai-Palas districts.

Traffic on the KKH remained suspended for several hours at Uchar Camp in Upper Kohistan due to flooding.

Deputy Commissioner Tariq Ali Khan ordered the deployment of police and administration officials, led by the additional assistant commissioner, to manage the situation and restrict the entry of vehicles to the area.

`Police and administrationofficials remained there until the floodwater receded and it was safe for vehicles to pass, Mr Khan said.

He added that though rivers and streams had swollen significantly across the district, no untoward incident was reported.

`We`ve issued warnings to residents living near rivers and streams to stay alert and avoid approaching the water,` he said.

The DC said that Rescue 1122 and the health and other relevant departments were put on high alert for the monsoon season.

Meanwhile, strong winds uprooted trees in several areas of the division. One tree fell on a mini-truck parked along the KKH in the Baffa Doraha area, briefly blocking traffic.

The truck suffered partial damage. However, no one was injured.

The residents removed the tree from the highway within an hour, restoring traffic.

`People remained unhurt, while the traffic resumed shortly after we cleared the KKH,` witness Babu Ashraf said.

In Maini village of Topi tehsil in Swabi district, the roof of a cattle farm collapsed due to downpour on Wednesday, killing several animals.The farm owner said the heavy rain fell for several hours.

Meanwhile, the rainwater in main Topi city entered houses and shops early in the morning.

Rescue 1122 official Lugman Khan said efforts were under way to shift stranded people to safety. He said several low-lying areas in the district were flooded.

The PDMA also warned residents about flash floods in Mardan`s Kalpani nullah due to a forecast of heavy rain.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur visited the PDMA Emergency Operation Centre in the provincial capital to review the flood situation and measures for responding to it.

The PDMA officials briefed him on water levels in rivers across the province, damage caused by downpour, the early warning system and emergency response mechanisms in place.

They said the PDMA helpline was functional 24/7, with a coordinated system active at the district level to ensure effective inter-agency response.

The officials said water release from rivers was being constantly monitored, while early warnings were issued to district administrations wherever the need arose.They said rescue equipment and relief supplies had been `positioned` across districts and all blocked roads except two had been cleared.

The officials said rain-related incidents across the province hadelaimed60 deaths and left 35 houses destroyed and 212 damaged.

Mr Gandapur said fresh reports about damage by rains and floods should be collected from districts, while all compensation payments should be released without delay.

He ordered strict vigilance on river flows and immediate removal of encroachments from along rivers and canals, including hurdles to waterflow.

The chief minister also sought a proposal for setting up rescue sub-stations in remote tehsils to strengthen emergency coverage.

He said authorities should upgrade the PDMA Emergency Operations Centre and complete groundwork for acquiring modern equipment.

Mr Gandapur called for the upgradation of the irrigation department`s early warning system, promising full financial support from the provincial government to strengthen the disaster response capacity.