ISLAMABAD, Aug. 16 — A total of 225 people were killed in separate rain-related accidents in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province during the past 48 hours, raising the death toll to 541 since the onset of the monsoon season on June 26, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said Saturday.
According to rescue organizations, the torrential rains, flash floods, and lightning strikes have wreaked havoc in parts of the province, leaving many missing and widespread destruction in their wake.
“Entire families have been swept away as floods inundated villages, while landslides triggered by the relentless downpours have blocked key roads and cut off access to remote areas,” Muhammad Khalid, a volunteer working with Alkhidmat Foundation, a non-governmental organization, told Xinhua.
According to the NDMA, the province was the worst-hit in the monsoon, where flash floods triggered by cloudbursts swept away several localities over the past two days, leaving 285 dead since late June, the authority added.
The NDMA said that 164 people were killed in eastern Punjab province, 28 in southern Sindh, and 24 in northern Gilgit-Baltistan region, while the remaining 40 deaths occurred in other provinces and Islamabad.
Citizens have been urged to stay alert, exercise caution during downpours and flooding, and avoid unnecessary travel to vulnerable areas.
Tourists, in particular, have been advised to refrain from visiting northern regions over the next five to six days to ensure their safety. (Xinhua)
