PESHAWAR: At least 18 people have been killed and 72 injured in rain-related incidents in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province since March 25, authorities said on Tuesday, bringing the nationwide death toll from such incidents to about 40 this month, with more rain forecast in parts of the country starting Wednesday.
The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) in KP said most casualties were caused by collapsing roofs and walls during heavy rains across multiple districts, with children accounting for the majority of deaths.
“Due to rains, roofs and walls of houses collapsed in various districts, resulting in 18 deaths and 72 injuries so far,” it said in a statement.
Pakistan has witnessed stormy weather conditions in recent weeks, killing at least 21 people in Karachi as well.
The PDMA said 14 of those killed in KP were children, along with three women and one man, while the injured included 32 men, seven women and 33 children.
It added that at least 60 houses were damaged in the province, including nine that were completely destroyed and 51 partially damaged.
The incidents were reported in districts including Bannu, Abbottabad, Kohat, Peshawar, Nowshera, Bajaur, Lakki Marwat, Kurram, Hangu, Shangla, Buner, Malakand, Upper Dir, Battagram, North Waziristan and Tank.
Rescue 1122, district administrations and other agencies were engaged in relief operations, the authority said, adding that local officials had been directed to expedite assistance to affected families, particularly in the hardest-hit Bannu district.
The Pakistan Meteorological Department on Monday warned that a westerly weather system is expected to enter southwestern parts of Balochistan from April 1 and persist until April 4, bringing rain, wind, thunderstorms and hailstorms to several parts of the country.
The Met Office also cautioned about possible flash floods in northeastern Balochistan and landslides in vulnerable areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan and Kashmir during the forecast period.
Authorities have urged the public to avoid unnecessary travel and stay away from vulnerable tourist areas, warning that strong winds, lightning and hail could damage weak structures and standing crops.
Pakistan is among the countries most vulnerable to climate change and has experienced increasingly erratic weather, including heatwaves, droughts, untimely rains and floods, in recent years.
