ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s monsoon death toll rose to 47 after six more people were killed in rain-related incidents in the country’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, the KP provincial disaster management authority (PDMA) said on Monday, urging public not to venture near sensitive tourist spots.
Pakistan’s KP accounts for 29 of total 47 monsoon-related deaths in Pakistan since the season began in late June, according to the latest situation report compiled by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).
The KP PDMA last week forecast strong winds, thunderstorms and heavy rains across the region from July 19 to July 23, urging emergency services to stay on high alert and deploy rescue teams, relief supplies and machinery to vulnerable areas.
The disaster authority said on Monday that heavy showers triggered flash floods and collapsed roofs and walls of multiple houses in Khyber, Mardan, Mansehra and Kurram districts of the province, killing six people in the last 24 hours.
“The deceased included three men and three children, while a woman and a child were injured,” the PDMA said in a statement.
“PDMA has directed the district administrations to intensify relief activities and provide immediate assistance to the affected people.”
The disaster authority appealed to the public to avoid unnecessary travel and not to visit sensitive tourist spots.
Pakistan has witnessed torrential rains during monsoon season in recent years, particularly in KP, Punjab and Sindh provinces.
Last year, heavy monsoon rains killed over 1,000 people and forced authorities to evacuate millions of others in Punjab and Sindh as floods wreaked havoc across the two provinces.
