Heavy Rains and Strong Winds Claim Seven Lives in Northwest Pakistan
Photo courtesy: Dawn
At least seven people have died and 33 others injured after multiple houses collapsed due to torrential rains and powerful winds in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, officials confirmed Sunday.
The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) reported that the hardest-hit districts over the past 24 hours include Bannu, Shangla, and Mansehra, where rainfall, lightning, and gale-force winds caused widespread damage to homes and infrastructure.
"Heavy rains triggered by the adverse weather have so far resulted in seven deaths and 33 injuries," the PDMA said in its daily report. Among the deceased are two children, four men, and one woman. The injured include seven men, 12 women, and 14 children.
It said Rescue 1122 teams and district administration officials are continuing relief operations, according to the authority, which added that it has ordered the immediate distribution of relief supplies to affected families.
The PDMA has urged the public to avoid sensitive tourist areas and refrain from unnecessary travel until conditions improve.
Pakistan, consistently ranked among the nations most vulnerable to climate change, has suffered a series of extreme weather events in recent years, including heavy monsoon rains, flash floods, heatwaves, droughts, and glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs).
The latest casualties add to a growing toll from this week’s weather: five people were killed and 23 injured in rain-related incidents in Punjab province alone. Last year, intense monsoon rains—compounded by excess water released from Indian dams—triggered devastating flash floods that killed at least 1,000 people across the country. (Source: Arab News)