Heavy Rains Cause Casualties in Pakistan

A. Majeed—AFP

At least 71 people killed following roof collapses, landslides in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan-administered Kashmir.

At least 71 people were killed and dozens more injured after heavy rain across northwest Pakistan and areas of Kashmir caused landslides and the roofs of dozens of homes to collapse, officials said Sunday.

The deaths were reported in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province and in the Neelam valley in Pakistan-administered Kashmir after heavy downpours that began Saturday night. The number known to have died rose to 47 in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, a provincial disaster management agency spokesman said, adding they were still waiting for reports from a few more remote areas.

The worst hit area was Shangla district where 14 deaths were reported, followed by Kohistan region where rains and landslides killed 12 people. Five children and three women were killed Saturday night in the Kashmiri village of Sam Gung after a landslide caused by heavy rains buried two houses, local official Abdul Hameed Kiyani told AFP. He said the bodies were recovered Sunday evening.

Poorly built homes across the country, particularly in rural areas, are susceptible to collapse during the annual spring rains, which are often heavy. Severe weather in recent years have killed hundreds and destroyed huge tracts of prime farmland.

During the rainy season last summer, torrential downpours and flooding killed 81 people and affected almost 300,000 people across the country.