Several parts of Pakistan flooded after heavy rain, dozens killed

Several parts of Pakistan and Afghanistan have been battered by heavy rains in the past few weeks.

Pakistan's Met Office on Monday (Apr 15) issued a warning that the streams in Murree and Galiyat might get flooded. The department also said that there are chances of landslides.

Heavy rain and floods in Pakistan have caused the death of at least 36 people, leaving many injured and property damaged over the last three days, disaster management officials said on Monday (April 15).

The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) said in a statement that at least eight people in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province died when heavy rains caused their houses to collapse.

As reported by the news agency Reuters, the official statement revealed that three men, one woman, and four children died, while twelve others were injured, and around 85 houses in the area were damaged.

A Balochistan government spokesman told reporters in Quetta on Monday that seven people were killed in the southwestern Balochistan province.

The department further revealed that five were struck by lightning and two died when their roof collapsed.

At least 21 people including seven children died when they were struck by lightning in the central Punjab province. The Punjabi PDMA said in a statement that five other people were injured.

Meanwhile, a Taliban spokesman said Sunday that heavy flooding due to seasonal rains killed at least 33 people and injured 27 others in three days in Afghanistan.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif offered his condolences. Pakistan's official news agency APP reported that he had asked the chairman of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) to coordinate with the Provincial Disaster Management Authorities to provide help to the affected regions.

Sharif said, "Today, I spoke to the chairman of NDMA (National Disaster Management Authority) about the loss of human lives in recent rains. May Allah rest the departed souls in heaven. I have directed the NDMA chairman to coordinate immediately with the provinces, with PDMA (Provincial Disaster Management Authority), and together with them to provide relief wherever the losses have occurred."

(With inputs from agencies)