News / Pakistan

Fatalities in Pakistan's massive floods hit 92

Wednesday, 06 April 2016 3:49 PM [ Last Update: Wednesday, 06 April 2016 3:48 PM ]

People cross a flooded street following heavy rain on the outskirts of Peshawar, Pakistan, on April 4, 2016. (AFP photo)

The death toll from heavy downpours and landslides in Pakistan’s north and northwest has risen to 92 as rescue workers are still searching for survivors.

Pakistan's National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said on Wednesday that more than 1,200 houses have been damaged since April 2.

Figures show at least a dozen people were killed by heavy rains in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, and 15 others lost their lives in the far northern region of Gilgit-Baltistan.

Abdul Latif, a local government official, said most of the deaths and destruction from the flash floods and landslides occurred in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province.

Figures show at least 65 people were killed in the province alone and nearly 930 homes were either damaged or completely destroyed.

Latif said real damage could be too extensive as roads blocked by landslides remain closed, adding, "When the road access is cleared, then our teams can go house to house and survey the damage."

Flood-stricken people in Pakistan try to free a truck buried by mud following heavy rain and flooding on the outskirts of the northwestern city of Peshawar on April 5, 2016. (AFP photo)

Search continues for people buried in landslide

Authorities say rescue teams are still battling to reach the 23 buried by the landslide in the upper reaches of the Kohistan Valley, about 200 kilometers (125 miles) north of the capital, Islamabad, on Monday.

Two dead bodies and five injured people have been pulled from the rubble over the past two days.

The worst of the rain occurred on the weekend.

Pakistani military said its troops were working round the clock to restore communications and clear roads in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan.

Hameed Kayani, a local government official in Pakistani-administered Kashmir, said most foreign tourists had been evacuated from the scenic Neelum Valley.

Pakistani men stand over their vehicles submerged by flood water following heavy rain on the outskirts of Peshawar on April 4, 2016. (AFP photo)

Pakistani authorities said on Saturday that at least 212 people were killed, 188 injured and 1,428 houses collapsed in separate rain-triggered accidents in various parts of the country over the past month.

Pakistan experiences severe weather patterns every year, which have affected millions of people, claimed many lives and wiped out millions of acres of farmland in recent years.

Monsoon, a rainy season that starts in mid-July and lasts until the end of August, strikes Pakistan hard each year.

Torrential downpours and flooding killed 81 people and affected almost 300,000 Pakistanis across the country during the rainy season last summer.

In 2010, flooding killed 1,200 people and impacted one-fifth of Pakistan’s population of over 190 million.

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