A flash flood washed away the Shadi Kor Dam in Pasni Tehsil of the Gwadar District in southwestern Baluchistan Province, Pakistan on Thursday, marooning thousands of people.  

Over 700 residents of Sindhi Paso and Turati villages were missing and some of them died as gushing floodwaters swept their villages after the dam burst, Provincial Cultural Minister Syed Sher Jan Baloch was quoted as saying. There were reports that at least 26 people died.

"The Shadi Kor Dam was washed away around 7:00 PM because of accumulation of rainwater beyond its capacity. Half the Pasni Tehsil's population (of 5,000) is now trapped in the floodwater," said the minister. "I have received the information about the killing of 26 people and some of the bodies have been recovered."

The recent spell of rains has played havoc with life and property in various parts of Baluchistan, washing away a number of bridges and some human settlements, besides destroying several houses and inundating crops over a vast tract in Kharan and Awaran areas.

The minister said that a 40-kilometer-long section of the newly constructed Makran coastal highway was also washed away.

According to witnesses, after the dam burst, the floodwater entered the coastal town of Pasni and adjacent areas. Sources said that two villages of Pasni have been wiped out. Around 700 souls of these villages are missing and several among them are feared dead.

The road network between various areas was also disrupted, suspending all kinds of traffic on the routes. Following the suspension of traffic between the areas, a shortage of food has been reported in the affected areas.

The standing crops of wheat and onion on around 40,000 acres of land have also been destroyed and a number of cattle have been swept away.

Emergency has been declared in the Pasni, Awaran and Kharan areas, following the losses caused to the human settlements. Officials said a massive rescue effort has been started.

The Shadi Kor Dam was completed in 2003, 40 kilometers southwest of Pasni in the district of Gwadar. The dam is 148-meterlong and 16-meter high and its discharge capacity is 120,000 cusecs, while the spillway is 184 meters wide.

Expressing his deep grief over the human and property losses in Pasni and other parts of the province, Provincial Chief Minister Jam Muhammad Yousuf ordered the establishment of an emergency cell in the Chief Minister Secretariat in Quetta, capital of Baluchistan. He directed the officials concerned to monitor the situation and urgently adopt all necessary measures to overcome the situation.

Local reports said in the past week as many as 45 people have been killed and 22 others injured and dozens of houses collapsed due to continuous rains and related accidents in different parts of the North West Frontier Province.

(Xinhua News Agency February 12, 2005)