Death Toll From 4 Days Of Rains Rises To 63 In Pakistan With More Rain On The Forecast

Peshawar, Pakistan — Lightning and torrential rains killed 14 people in Pakistan on Wednesday, increasing the total death toll from four days of extreme weather to at least 63. The biggest rainstorm in decades inundated towns on the country’s southwestern coast. In neighboring Afghanistan, flash floods have killed hundreds.

In Pakistan, the majority of the deaths were reported in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, located in the northwest. According to Khursheed Anwar, a spokesman for the Disaster Management Authority, 32 people have died as a result of building collapses, including 15 children and five women. Anwar reported that dozens more people were hurt in the region, which reportedly suffered damage to 1,370 homes.

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Death Toll From 4 Days Of Rains Rises To 63 In Pakistan With More Rain On The Forecast

The eastern region of Punjab has recorded 21 deaths due to lightning and collapse, while Baluchistan in the country’s southwest has reported 10 deaths as officials issued a state of emergency in response to flash floods.

Baluchistan was braced for additional rains on Wednesday while rescue and relief activities continued, as flash floods flooded villages near the coastal city of Gwadar.

Heavy rains also fell on the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir. Authorities warned that a second round of heavy rain will affect numerous places, including the capital, Karachi.

According to Zaheer Ahmed Babar, a senior official with the Pakistan Meteorological Department, Pakistan will experience more rain in April due to climate change.

“This month, so far, there has been 353% more rainfall than normal in Baluchistan,” Babar told The Press. “Overall, rainfall has been 99% higher than the average across Pakistan, and it shows climate change has already happened in our country.”

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Death Toll From 4 Days Of Rains Rises To 63 In Pakistan With More Rain On The Forecast

Babar reported that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province received 90% more rain than typical in April, but rainfall in other regions of the country remained relatively normal. This has been the wettest April in the last 30 years.

In 2022, downpours swelled rivers and flooded a third of Pakistan, killing 1,739 people. The floods also inflicted $30 billion in damage, which Pakistan is currently working to repair. That year, rainfall in Baluchistan was 590% above average, while Karachi received 726% more than usual.

Meanwhile, the death toll in neighboring Afghanistan has risen to 70, with 37 additional people killed in recent rain and flash flooding occurrences, according to Abdullah Janan Saiq, the Taliban’s spokesperson for the State Ministry of Natural Disasters.

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Death Toll From 4 Days Of Rains Rises To 63 In Pakistan With More Rain On The Forecast

He also stated that flash floods have damaged 2,000 homes, three mosques, and four schools, affecting thousands of individuals who will require humanitarian help. Floods also devastated agricultural land, killing 2,500 livestock, according to Saiq.

SOURCE – (AP)