Islamabad:

At least 87 people have been killed and 82 others injured in separate rain-triggered incidents in Pakistan over the past week as heavy downpours continued to wreak havoc in parts of the country, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said.

The NDMA on Friday added that the rains have partially or fully damaged 2,715 houses across the country, adding that most of the people died in the incidents related to structural collapse, lightning strike and flash flood, Xinhua news agency reported.

Most of the damages and casualties were reported from the country’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where 36 people lost their lives and 53 others sustained injuries due to torrential rains, followed by the eastern Punjab province, which has reported 25 deaths and eight injuries, according to the NDMA.

A total of 15 people were killed and 10 others injured in the southwestern Balochistan province, whereas 11 people died with 11 others injured due to heavy rains in the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir during the period, said the NDMA.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed deep grief and sorrow over the loss of precious lives and property due to recent heavy rains, advising the concerned departments to speed up relief activities in the affected areas and expedite work for opening roads that have been closed due to rains and landsliding.

Earlier in its weather prediction report on Friday, the NDMA predicted that the ongoing rains would continue until April 22, saying the expected rainfall may trigger flash floods in several areas of the country.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Residents row a boat to cross a flooded street after heavy rains in Gwadar in Balochistan province on March 2, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AFP

At least 37 people were killed in rain-related incidents across Pakistan in the past 48 hours, authorities said.

The rains that have swept across Pakistan have led to the collapse of houses and triggered landslides that blocked roads, particularly in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) province, they said.

At least 27 people, mostly children, reportedly died in rain-related incidents in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan since Thursday night, the provincial disaster management authority said.

As many as 37 people have been injured in the torrential rains that hit ten districts, including Bajaur, Swat, Lower Dir, Malakand, Khyber, Peshawar, North, South Waziristan, and Lakki Marwat, of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in the past 48 hours, it said.

Chief Minister KPK Ali Amin Gandapur said rain-affected people would not be left alone in this critical hour and would be duly compensated against their damages.

At least five persons died in southwestern Balochistan province after floods swamped the coastal town of Gwadar, forcing authorities to use boats to evacuate people.

According to officials, heavy rainfall in Gwadar over the past two days disrupted normal life, rendering hundreds of people homeless.

Several dozens of human settlements and commercial establishments collapsed as flood water entered houses, while roads were badly affected.

Casualties and damage were also reported in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, the National Disaster Management Authority said, adding that five persons were killed in the region.

A spokesperson from the NDMA said emergency relief and heavy machinery were sent to the region to remove debris blocking highways.

The Karakoram Highway, which links Pakistan with China, was still blocked in some places due to landslides triggered by rain and snow, according to the spokesman for the northern Gilgit Baltistan region, Faizullah Faraq.

He said the snowfall was unusually heavy for this time of year.

Authorities advised tourists against travelling to the scenic north due to weather conditions. Last week, several visitors were stranded there because of heavy rains.

Pakistan this year has witnessed a delay in winter rains, which started in February instead of November. Monsoons as well as winter rains cause damage in Pakistan every year.

In 2022, unprecedented rainfall and flooding devastated many parts of Pakistan, killing more than 1,800 people, affecting around 33 million and displacing nearly eight million people. The disaster also caused billions of dollars in damage.