Rains in Pakistan’s Punjab province have killed at least 63 people and injured 290 in the 24 hours since downpours.
Most of the victims were crushed by collapsing buildings, while the rest either drowned or were electrocuted, according to the National Disaster Management Authority.
Authorities in the city of Rawalpindi, next to the capital Islamabad, declared Thursday a public holiday to keep people at home.
while those living near a swelling river which runs through the city have been asked to evacuate.
The latest deaths take the nationwide toll to nearly 180 since the monsoon started in late June. More than half of them were children.
Heavy monsoon rains across Pakistan’s Punjab province have killed at least 63 people and injured nearly 300 in the past 24 hours, provincial officials said.
Bringing the nationwide death toll from the rains to at least 159 since late June.
The downpours caused flooding and building collapses, with most of the deaths caused by the roofs of weaker homes failing.
Lahore, the eastern provincial capital, reported 15 deaths, Faisalabad nine, and the farming towns of Okara, Sahiwal and Pakpattan several more.
Rescue teams used boats to evacuate families from villages along riversides further south in the morning.
Children were screaming for help, and women stood on rooftops, waving their shawls and begging to be rescued,” said Tariq Mehbood Bhatti, a farmer in Ladian village.
Residents living in low-lying areas near the Nullah Lai River, which runs through Rawalpindi city, neighbouring the capital Islamabad, were ordered to evacuate after a sharp rise in the water level.
“Rescue teams are on standby for more evacuations,” a spokeswoman for the disaster agency said.
Pakistan has seen devastating floods over the last few years.
This monsoon season is not different,” Experts have warned that the country can see extreme weather in the coming years, he said.
Since late June, the monsoon rains have killed 103 people and injured 393 in Punjab alone, according to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA).
The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) gave the toll of at least 159 deaths nationwide since June 25 and said more than 1,000 homes had been damaged.
A high flood alert was issued for the Jhelum River at the northern town of Mangla.
Monsoon rains are a routine part of South Asia’s climate and are essential for crop irrigation and replenishing water supplies.
