ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, July 31 (NNN-PPI) – At least 83 people were killed and 74 others injured, in separate rain-related accidents across Pakistan, during the ongoing month, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said, on Tuesday.
According to the NDMA data, from July 1 to 25, the country’s north-west Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province was the worst hit, in the ongoing spell of torrential rains, where 25 people were killed and 21 others injured.
In the east Punjab province, 23 people were killed and 36 others injured, in various accidents caused by rains, whereas a total of 13 people were killed and 10 others injured, in the south Sindh and south-west Balochistan provinces.
Pakistan-controlled Kashmir area was also badly affected by the rains, where 22 people were killed and seven others injured, after being hit by cloud burst. Local officials said, flash floods, triggered by the cloud burst, washed away over 70 houses.
The rains damaged roads and bridges, disrupting traffic and bringing social and economic activities to a standstill. The heavy downpour also paralysed life in various districts, with water inundating low-lying areas, blocking sewage and causing flood.
About 324 houses were also destroyed in the rains, leaving hundreds of people homeless. The NDMA and the provincial governments have provided about 580 tents, seven tonnes of food items and 800 blankets to the affected families.
Scattered thunderstorm and heavy rains are expected in all the four provinces till Aug 2, the country’s weather office said, raising concerns about further loss of life and property in vulnerable areas.
The ongoing rains are caused by monsoon winds that are the major source of downpour in the country, during the months from July to Sept. The meteorological department forecast more than usual rains during the ongoing season and issued an advisory for the public to protect itself from rain-related accidents.– NNN-PPI
