Pakistan: At least 18 people killed, 19 others injured as rains wreak havoc in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Islamabad: At least 18 people were killed and 19 others injured in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province since July 19 due to heavy rains and flash floods, according to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) statement, local media reported on Thursday.

The deaths occurred after house roofs and walls collapsed and people were swept away by flash floods. The deceased comprise eight children, seven men and three women, while the injured include 11 men, four women and four children, Pakistan-based daily The Express Tribune reported.

According to the PDMA, 30 houses were damaged during the heavy rains and flash floods, including 23 partially damaged and seven completely destroyed.

The rain-related incidents occurred in Buner, Swabi, Mardan, Bajaur, Shangla, Lower Chitral, Peshawar, Nowshera, Khyber, Lower and Upper Dir, Abbottabad, Mansehra, Tor Ghar, Kurram, and North and South Waziristan, The Express Tribune reported.

The PDMA said it is working in coordination with Rescue 1122, district administrations and other relevant departments, with relief and rescue operations ongoing in the impacted areas.

Meanwhile, eight people were killed and 14 others were injured in rain-related incidents in Gujranwala, Narowal, Pakpattan and Lahore cities of Pakistan’s Punjab province.

At least six people, mostly children, were killed and 10 others were injured in rain-related incidents in Gujranwala city. Meanwhile, a trailer fell into a ditch after slipping due to the rain on GT Road Bypass in Gujrat. According to the rescue officials, the fatalities and injuries were caused by the roof and wall collapse as well as drowning in the pond or electrocution, Pakistan’s another daily Dawn reported.

Two minor children died and their mother suffered injuries when the roof of their house collapsed in the rain in Pakpattan. Meanwhile, four workers were injured after the roof of a factory collapsed in Gulshan-e-Ravi area of Lahore.

The main roads and nearby areas in Gujrat and Gujranwala cities were submerged due to rainwater after 10 hours of downpour, affecting commercial activities and the daily life in both cities, Dawn reported. The Gujranwala city was the most affected due to the heavy rains and the excavation on GT Road for the construction of the metro bus route between Eminabad and Gakhar Mandi.

IANS