Rains kill 36 in northwest Pakistan

At least 36 people were killed and 27 injured after heavy rain across northwest Pakistan caused the roofs of dozens of homes to collapse, officials said on Sunday.

Officials said seven family members were killed in Kohistan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa when lightning struck.

Heavy rain wreaked havoc in Peshawar where flash flooding in Bara River swept away Batta Tal bridge and around dozens of shops located nearby, with no loss of life reported.

The rain-triggered flooding also hit Swat district, causing flash flooding in Swat River, cutting off several villages from rest of the region. Reports said two women were swept away in flooding in the swollen river of Swat in Kabal area.

Dozens of people were killed and injured in rain-related incidents across Gilgit Baltistan, Chital, and Khyber Pakhtunkhaw’s districts of Shangla, Swat, and Charsadda. Heavy landsliding damaged Karakorum Highway between Gilgit and Chilas due to torrential rain, officials said.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Sunday expressed his deep grief and sorrow over the loss of precious human lives due to flash floods, triggered by rains.

He directed the National Disaster Management Authority and other concerned authorities to ensure timely relief activities for the victims, including provision of proper medical care, food and shelter for the affected.

The downpour began Saturday night. Reports of casualties were still awaited from a few more remote areas, a provincial disaster management agency spokesman said.

Poorly-built homes, particularly in rural areas, are most susceptible to collapse during heavy spring rain.

During the rainy season in 2015 summer, torrential downpours and flooding killed 81 people and affected almost 3,00,000 people across the country.