Pakistan rains: As Pakistan is reeling from excessive inundation due to heavy monsoon rains, disaster management officials have reported the deaths of at least 50 people, including eight children, in rain-related incidents since June 25.
According to an official from the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said that 87 people were injured in the heavy downpour during this period, Geo News reported citing media.
"Fifty deaths have been reported in different rain-related incidents all over Pakistan since the start of the monsoon on June 25," he said.
Majority of the deaths occurred in Punjab mainly owing to electrocution and building collapses. Citizens of Pakistan are facing a great deal of inconvenience as extensive waterlogging in roads and nearby streets has crippled traffic movement and cut electric supplies.
The bodies of eight children were recovered after a landslide struck a hilly area in the Shangla district of the country's Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province and rescuers were searching for other children trapped in the debris, informed the spokesperson of an emergency service.
Earlier, the Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) claimed that the rain in Punjab broke a 30-year record, with 12 of its monitoring points recording more than 200 mm of rainfall in two spells.
Pakistan's Meterological Department has warned of deadlier spells of rainfall in the upcoming days. "...However, next two days — Friday and Saturday — can be equally disastrous if not more," said the Met Department on Wednesday.
The rain spells heavily disrupted traffic movement on Wednesday aas key roads and streets were waterlogged, causing several vehicles to break down. Rainwater also seeped in the houses of low-lying areas as electrical supply was cut, causing a great deal of inconvenience for people.
Heavy rainfall and strong winds killed at least 27 people, including eight children, in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa last month.
Pakistan is one of the most vulnerable nations to extreme rain. The monsoon rains, although crucial for the livelihoods of farmers and food security, cause heavy landslides and floods in the country.
Last year, over 1,700 people were killed in monsoon rains across Pakistan and two million homes were damaged.
ALSO READ | Nine killed as heavy rains lash Pakistan's Punjab province, three in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
