At least 32 people have been killed in four provinces In Pakistan over the past two days as heavy rains triggered flash floods and continue to damage houses, according to rescue officials and disaster management authorities on Sunday.
The causes of death remain directly related to the floods, as many have died as a result of trying to escape or by structural collapse due to the heavy rainfall.
The National Disaster Management Authority of Pakistan (NDMA) reported that one person drowned in the river in Charsadda, located in the mountainous terrain of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, as continuous rainfall in the upper catchment area increased the flow downstream. His body was recovered by Rescue 1122 officials, an emergency service that serves almost all regions of the country. A woman was killed by a landslide triggered by the rain in the province, reports Dawn.
In other parts of the country, similar patterns present themselves: in Zhob, Balochistan province, four members of a family, including three women and a girl, were swept away in a flash flood on Saturday.
Officials said the victims were a family coming from Quetta to Multan via the Quetta-Zhob-Islamabad highway. They stopped at a picnic point in Salyazah to take some rest when a huge flash flood suddenly hit the area due to heavy rainfall in the mountainous areas of Zhob and Sherani.
“Six members of the family were swept away in the flash flood,” said Naveed Alam, the Zhob assistant commissioner.
He added that Levies and rescue officials managed to save a woman and the driver, but four others drowned in the gushing water. “The bodies of the victims were sent to their native area of Multan along with the injured woman and driver,” a senior Levies official said.
The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) report stated that a total of 56 houses were damaged due to the rain, with 50 partially damaged and six completely collapsed.
Several unfortunate victims of the floods were killed or injured due to collapsed roofs.
In Punjab, five people, including three minors, lost their lives and 20 were injured on Saturday. Punjab Rescue spokesperson Farooq Ahmad said most of the deaths occurred due to roof collapses. In Lahore, two minors died and four others injured when the roof of a house collapsed. In Faisalabad, a four-year-old girl was killed and two injured when the roof of a house collapsed.
Heavy rainfall continued across Pakistan on Saturday, with the prediction for similar weather over the next few days.
In Punjab, the maximum rainfall on Saturday was recorded in Attock at 102mm and the reading in Lahore was 62mm. The first spell of monsoon rains in Punjab will continue till July 1, the PDMA said earlier this week. In Azad Jammu and Kashmir, rainfall is expected in Neelum Valley and surrounding areas.
Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, will also witness the same weather conditions in the next 24 to 48 hours.
The NDMA has issued alerts for glacial lake outburst floods (GLOF), urban flooding, and flash floods across various regions of Pakistan over the next 24 to 48 hours. Sudden flash floods could damage roads and infrastructure and disrupt public mobility.
The NDMA has urged all provincial and district administrations to remain on high alert to deal with all emergencies.