25 killed, hundreds injured in powerful Pakistan windstorm

April 2015 – PESHAWAR, Pakistan — At least 25 people were killed and hundreds more injured Sunday when devastating windstorm coupled with heavy rain and hail hit Peshawar in northwest Pakistan. And officials are worried there may be many more casualties. “We received 25 dead and more than 160 injured so far. But injured are still being shifted to the hospital and I am afraid death toll may rise,” said Jamil Shah, spokesman for Lady Reading Hospital, the largest public hospital in the area. About 60 injured people had been brought to two other hospitals in Peshawar. Some of the injured were said to be in critical condition. Many other injured people have yet to be taken to hospitals because of road conditions, officials said.

The windstorm badly affected Peshawar city and its adjoining areas, uprooting several trees and badly damaging crops, particularly wheat crops, vegetables and orchards. Peshawar Deputy Commissioner Riaz Mehsud said several houses and buildings had been collapsed due to winds and rain. The storm also pulled out electricity poles that caused power suspension to Peshawar and its adjoining areas, and disrupted the telecommunication system in most parts of the city. The government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province declared an emergency and called in all the doctors and supporting staff to help. –NBC News

contribution Richard