Freak hailstorm upends life in country’s north

• Four killed in parts of Punjab, soldier loses his life due to deluge, lightning strikes in KP
• ‘Golf ball-sized’ hailstones damage vehicles, solar panels; gusts uproot trees, power pylons
• Flash floods disrupt traffic on Peshawar-Torkham Highway

KHYBER/ISLAMABAD: A freak hail and thunderstorm swept across parts of Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the federal capital on Wednesday and claimed several lives across both provinces, damaging public and private property as well as standing crops.