Peshawar: At least 55 people lost their lives across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa during the Eid-ul-Azha holidays in a series of tragic incidents, according to Rescue 1122.
The provincial emergency service reported that the fatalities resulted from traffic accidents, fire incidents, drowning, and cases involving gunfire. Injured individuals were promptly shifted to nearby hospitals for medical treatment.
Bilal Ahmad Faizi, the spokesperson for Rescue 1122 Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, said that to ensure the safety of both tourists and local residents, special medical camps were set up at major tourist destinations, while dedicated water rescue teams were deployed at rivers and dams across the province.
According to a report, the highest number of casualties was reported in Mardan with 14 deaths, followed by Peshawar with 13, and Haripur with 6. Additionally, three people each were killed in Nowshera, Hangu, and Kurram, while one death each was recorded in Dera Ismail Khan, Abbottabad, Bannu, Buner, and Battagram.
Rescue 1122 Director General Dr. Shah Fahad said the service responded to over 1,400 medical emergencies, 349 road traffic accidents, 112 fire incidents, 82 recovery operations, 50 crime-related emergencies, and six drowning cases across the province during the holiday period.
In Peshawar alone, 418 incidents were reported, leading to the safe transport of 431 patients to medical facilities. These included 43 traffic accidents, 338 medical emergencies, 20 fire incidents, 8 shooting-related injuries, and 11 recovery operations.
In a separate incident, police reported that two young girls went missing after falling from a temporary bridge into the Gwaldai River in the Shahi Banda area of Upper Dir district. A search operation was launched following the incident.
Sub-Divisional Police Officer Zaman Shah said that the two girls, 15-year-old Samira Bibi and 12-year-old Javeria Bibi, were attempting to cross the river when they fell. He said the incident occurred within the jurisdiction of the Patrak police station and added that recent glacier melting had increased the water flow significantly.
Last week, a gas cylinder explosion in Mardan claimed six lives and injured two others, according to police and rescue officials.
District Police Officer Zahoor Babar Afridi confirmed that the explosion occurred due to a gas cylinder blast in a house located in Irum Colony. The blast caused the roof of the two-story house to collapse, resulting in the death of six people and serious injuries to two girls.
