PESHAWAR: At least four people were killed and 16 others injured in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province over the last 24 hours after strong winds, dust storms and rain caused walls and roofs to collapse, provincial disaster authorities said on Monday.
Pakistan is among the countries most vulnerable to climate change and has experienced increasingly frequent extreme weather events, including heat waves, droughts, flash floods and unusually intense monsoon rains. Scientists say rising temperatures are increasing the frequency and severity of extreme weather across South Asia.
“Strong winds and rain caused walls and roofs of houses to collapse, killing four people and injuring 16 others so far,” the Provincial Disaster Management Authority said in a statement.
The deceased included two men, one woman and one child, while the injured comprised one woman, eight men and seven children, according to the authority.
The incidents were reported in the districts of Mardan, Swabi, Malakand and Shangla in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
The authority said district administrations and emergency response agencies had been placed on alert and directed local officials to provide immediate relief and medical assistance to affected families.
It also warned that the current spell of rain and strong winds was expected to continue intermittently until May 12.
Pakistan was hit by a devastating monsoon season last year, when floods and heavy rains killed hundreds of people across the country, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab provinces. According to Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority and international relief agencies, more than 700 people were killed and thousands displaced during the 2025 monsoon season, with flash floods, landslides and river overflows damaging homes, roads and farmland.
The country is also still recovering from the catastrophic floods of 2022, which killed more than 1,700 people and affected over 33 million nationwide after record monsoon rains and glacial melt submerged large parts of the country.
The 2022 floods damaged or destroyed more than two million homes and caused an estimated $30 billion in economic losses and reconstruction needs, according to assessments by the Pakistani government, the United Nations and the World Bank.
Despite contributing less than one percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, Pakistan has repeatedly ranked among the countries most affected by climate-related disasters.
