Almost 50 killed in three days of monsoon rain across Pakistan

Heavy rain, flash floods claim lives, damage houses across the country; more inclement weather expected this week.

Heavy rain in Karachi
The monsoon season runs from July through September, during which swelling rivers damage crops and infrastructure [Anadolu]

Nearly 50 people have been killed across Pakistan after three days of heavy monsoon rain and flash floods.

According to Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority, 19 people died in rain-related incidents in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, 12 in southern Sindh province, eight in Punjab province and 10 in the country’s scenic northern Gilgit-Baltistan region in the past three days.

Rain also damaged about 100 homes and caused a breach in a flooded main canal, inundating villages in Sindh province.

Troops with boats rushed to a flood-affected district in Sindh on Sunday to evacuate people to safer places.

The military said on Sunday that it had rescued more than 100 people from Dadu district in Sindh.

Every year, many cities in Pakistan struggle to cope with the annual monsoon deluge, drawing criticism about poor planning.

The monsoon season runs from July through September, with swelling rivers damaging crops and infrastructure.

Heavy rains also lashed many districts in southwestern Balochistan province and damaged homes. According to local media reports, at least eight people were killed in the province because of the rain and flooding.

“More than a dozen people are still missing in Balochistan,” Younus Aziz Mengal, a spokesperson for the provincial disaster management authority, said.

He added that the flooding had damaged bridges and highways, cutting off Gawadar, a port city on the Arabian Sea.

Heavy rainfall began last week and continued on Sunday, flooding streets in the eastern city of Lahore. It especially disrupted normal life last week in Karachi, the capital of Sindh province, where sewage flooded most of the streets, prompting Prime Minister Imran Khan to order the army to assist authorities in handling the situation.

According to the Meteorological Department, heavy rains are expected to continue next week.

Source: News Agencies