Pakistan Hit by Deadly Flash Floods and Heavy Rains, Death Toll Rises

Flash floods and roof collapses over the past 36 hours have claimed 19 lives, increasing the total toll to 32, authorities say. Heavy rain and flash flooding across Pakistan have killed 32 people since the start of the monsoon season earlier this week, according to disaster management officials.

Flash floods and roof collapses over the past 36 hours have claimed the lives of 19 people, eight of them children, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provincial disaster management authority said in a statement on Saturday. Of the total deaths, 13 were reported in the Swat Valley. At least 13 people have been killed in the eastern province of Punjab since Wednesday, the area’s disaster management authority said. Eight of the deaths were children, who died when walls and roofs collapsed during heavy rain.

Flooding in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has also damaged 56 houses, six of which were destroyed, the disaster authority said. The national meteorological service warned that the risk of heavy rain and possible flash floods will remain high until at least Tuesday. Last month, at least 32 people were killed in severe storms in the South Asian nation, which experienced several extreme weather events in the spring, including strong hailstorms.

Pakistan is one of the world’s most vulnerable countries to the effects of climate change, and its 240 million inhabitants are facing extreme weather events with increasing frequency.

According to the source: Al Jazeera.