PESHAWAR: At least 17 people have been killed and more than 50 injured in rain-related incidents in Pakistan’s northwest since March 25, authorities said on Monday, as intermittent rainfall continues across parts of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province.
The deaths were caused by the collapse of roofs and walls of houses following heavy rains in KP’s Bannu, North Waziristan, Abbottabad, Kohat, Upper Dir, Bajaur and Battagram districts, according to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA).
Pakistan is among the countries most vulnerable to climate change and has in recent years experienced increasingly erratic weather patterns, including extreme rainfall, floods and heatwaves, that have exposed weak infrastructure and disaster preparedness gaps.
“So far, 17 people have been killed and 56 injured due to the collapse of roofs and walls of houses caused by the rains,” the PDMA said.
The authority said 14 of those killed were children, while the injured included 26 children, 25 men and five women. At least 11 houses had sustained partial damage in the affected districts.
The PDMA said it had directed local administrations to expedite relief efforts and ensure immediate assistance to affected families, particularly in Bannu, which has been identified as the worst-hit district.
“Intermittent rains are ongoing in various districts of the province and are likely to continue till Tuesday,” the PDMA said, urging the public to avoid unnecessary travel, stay away from vulnerable tourist areas and follow official adviseries.
In 2022, catastrophic floods triggered by unprecedented monsoon rains killed more than 1,700 people and affected over 33 million nationwide. Last year, heavy monsoon rains again caused widespread flooding across Pakistan, killing more than 900 people, with Punjab among the hardest-hit provinces where millions were affected and vast stretches of agricultural land were submerged, damaging crops and livelihoods.
