ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s most populous province of Punjab said on Thursday 63 people were killed and 290 injured in the last 24 hours due to heavy monsoon rains, as downpours continued across parts of the country including the federal capital Islamabad and neighboring Rawalpindi, which has declared a rain emergency.
The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) of Punjab said in a statement the deaths were reported from multiple districts, including 15 in Lahore, nine in Faisalabad, nine in Okara, five in Sahiwal and three in Pakpattan.
Many of the casualties occurred in roof and building collapses, particularly in older or poorly constructed homes.
“So far, 103 people have died and 393 have been injured due to monsoon rains this year,” the PDMA said. “In the last 24 hours alone, 63 people have died and 290 have been injured due to monsoon-related incidents.”
A man carrying belongings wades through a flooded village following heavy rains in the Taunsa district of Punjab province on July 16, 2025. (AFP)
The statement added that 128 homes had been damaged and six livestock animals killed.
Authorities have urged residents to vacate unsafe structures, avoid flood-prone areas and keep children away from exposed electric infrastructure.
Medical care is being provided to the injured, with the provincial administration of Punjab saying families of those killed would receive financial compensation under its relief policy.
In Rawalpindi, city authorities declared a rain emergency after more than 230 millimeters of rain fell over the past 15 hours, according to Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) officials.
“The water level in Nullah Leh is rising rapidly,” the managing director of the agency, Muhammad Saleem Ashraf, said in a statement, noting water flows of 20 feet at Katarian and 19 feet at Gawalmandi.
Heavy machinery and emergency teams have been deployed in low-lying areas, and residents have been advised to avoid unnecessary movement.
In Islamabad, intermittent rainfall has continued for several hours.
Sanitation teams have been carrying out drainage operations in waterlogged areas.
Pakistan, which contributes less than one percent to global greenhouse gas emissions, is among the countries most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Rising temperatures, erratic weather patterns and shifting monsoon cycles have made extreme weather events more frequent and severe.
In 2022, record-breaking monsoon rains and glacial melt triggered catastrophic floods that killed more than 1,700 people, displaced millions, and submerged large parts of the country.
Recovery efforts are still ongoing, as climate-linked disasters continue to strain Pakistan’s infrastructure and economy.
