ISLAMABAD: At least eight people were killed and more than two dozen were injured in rain-related incidents in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Punjab provinces in the last 24 hours, authorities said on Thursday.
Pakistan remains highly vulnerable to extreme weather events, which scientists attribute to human-driven climate change effects.
Torrential rains, coupled with gusty winds, lashed several districts across Punjab and KP on Wednesday after weeks of intense heat, causing walls and roofs of several homes to collapse.
“So far, six people have died and 19 people have been injured due to roofs and walls of houses collapsing due to heavy rains, wind and flash floods in the province,” the KP Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) said.
“The deceased include two men, three children and a woman, while the injured include seven men, a woman and 11 children.”
A total of 38 houses were damaged due to heavy rains and flash floods, of which two were completely destroyed. The incidents occurred in Khyber, Lower Dir, Mardan, Shangla, Bajaur, Lower Chitral and Upper Dir districts.
In Punjab, two people were killed and nine others sustained injuries as walls, roofs and billboards collapsed due to rain and wind, according to Rescue 1122 spokesperson Farooq Ahmed.
The incidents were reported in Attock, Khushab, Sargodha and Sheikhupura districts in the last 24 hours.
“The seriously injured persons were shifted to nearby hospitals after being given immediate medical aid,” Ahmed said.
Weather authorities on Monday forecast the country’s first organized monsoon spell of the season from July 1-6, warning of heavy rainfall, localized flash floods and urban flooding across large parts of the country after successive years of devastating monsoon disasters.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif directed authorities complete advance preparations for an emergency fund to respond to monsoon-related disasters, his office said on Wednesday.
Catastrophic monsoon floods in 2022 killed more than 1,700 people, affected 33 million and caused economic losses exceeding $30 billion, making it one of the country’s worst climate disasters. Last year’s monsoon season also triggered widespread flooding that killed more than 1,000 people and damaged homes, infrastructure and farmland, mainly in Punjab.
Torrential rains also battered several parts of Pakistan in late March and early April, with the nationwide death toll crossing 80.
