PESHAWAR: Heavy rains in northwest Pakistan caused scores of mud houses to collapse, killing at least 17 people, mostly children, and injuring over 30 others, a disaster management official said Saturday.
Taimoor Khan, the spokesman for the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province disaster management authority, said at least 49 houses were partly or fully destroyed by heavy rains and thunderstorms that started Wednesday.
He said relief goods have been dispatched to the affected districts and distributed to affected residents.
Khan said the Charsadda, Nowshera and Mardan districts were the most affected and financial compensation was also provided.
Authorities said three women and 14 children were among the dead.
Heavy rains and thunderstorms caused heavy damage every year in mountainous northwestern Pakistan, where in most areas many people build mud and brick houses.
Mud houses collapse in heavy rains killing 17, mostly children
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Mud houses collapse in heavy rains killing 17, mostly children
- Heavy rains and thunderstorms cause severe damage every year in mountainous northwestern Pakistan
- At least 49 houses were destroyed in the recent downpour that started Wednesday
Sri Lanka players ask to leave Pakistan after bombing, board says no
- Sri Lanka are playing three ODIs followed by T20 tri-nation series in Pakistan this month
- Suicide bombing in Islamabad on Tuesday made Sri Lankan players fear for security
Some Sri Lanka cricketers requested to return home from their Pakistan tour on Wednesday for safety reasons after a suicide bombing in Islamabad, but their board issued a stern directive to stay put or face consequences.
Sri Lanka are touring Pakistan, playing three one-day internationals followed by a Twenty20 tri-series along with Zimbabwe this month. Sri Lanka are scheduled to play Pakistan in the second ODI on Thursday in Rawalpindi.
But the bombing, which killed 12 people in Pakistan's capital Islamabad, made several Sri Lankan players ask to go home, the Sri Lanka Cricket board said in a statement. Rawalpindi and Islamabad are twin cities hardly 20 km (12 miles) apart.
"SLC immediately engaged with the players and assured them that all such concerns are being duly addressed in close coordination with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the relevant authorities to ensure the safety and well-being of every member of the touring party," the SLC said.
'CONTINUE WITH TOUR'
"In this context, SLC has instructed all players, support staff and team management to continue with the tour as scheduled," SLC added.
Any player who returns despite the directive will be replaced immediately to avoid disrupting the tour, it said.
If anyone does that, however, "a formal review will be conducted to assess their actions, and an appropriate decision will be made upon the conclusion of the review."
SLC did not respond to a question on the number of players and staff who requested to return home.
Pakistan had been struggling to convince sports teams to visit the country after gunmen attacked a bus carrying touring Sri Lanka cricket players in the city of Lahore in 2009.
At least six players were injured, and visits by international teams came to a halt as Pakistan played their "home" matches in the United Arab Emirates.
But security has improved since then in major urban centers and test cricket returned when Sri Lanka toured in 2019.
In this series, Pakistan won the first ODI, which was also held in Rawalpindi, by six runs on Tuesday.
