Islamabad - Pakistan's disaster agency on Tuesday said 221 people have been killed and more than 500 others injured in incidents linked to nearly a month of heavy monsoon rains. "Since June 26 up to July 21, 221 people have lost their lives, including 104 children and 40 women," a spokesperson from the national disaster management agency told AFP.
A landslide triggered by torrential monsoon rains swept away cars in mountainous northern Pakistan, killing at least three people, with more vehicles buried under the debris, officials said Tuesday.
Flash floods, collapsed buildings, and electrocutions have killed 221 people since the monsoon season arrived in late June with heavier rains that usual. More than eight vehicles were swept away on Monday when heavy rains triggered a landslide on a highway in Diamer district, Gilgit-Baltistan region, a senior police officer told AFP.
"Three dead bodies have been recovered and more than 15 are still missing," said Abdul Hameed, the district police officer. He said at least 10 vehicles were buried under the debris, and a rescue operation was underway. Faizullah Faraq, spokesperson for the regional government, confirmed the death toll to AFP. The region is a popular tourist destination, marked by towering mountains, deep valleys, and wide rivers, and Faraq said hundreds of visitors were rescued.
"Government teams cleared debris and escorted them off the mountain road, while local villagers provided emergency shelter and assistance," Faraq added. Floods in the area have blocked major highways, damaged communication signals, 50 houses, four bridges, a hotel, and a school.
The rest of Pakistan has not been spared, with 221 killed nationwide in incidents related to the monsoon since June 26. The death toll includes "104 children and 40 women", while more than 500 others have been injured, Pakistan's National Disaster Management Agency said Tuesday.
A spokeswoman for the agency told AFP that the heavy rains usually start later in the monsoon season. "Such death tolls are usually seen in August, but this year the impact has been markedly different," she said.
Monsoon season brings South Asia 70 to 80 percent of its annual rainfall, and runs from late June until September in Pakistan.
The annual rains are vital for agriculture and food security, and the livelihoods of millions of farmers, but also bring destruction. In late June, at least 13 tourists were swept to their deaths while sheltering from flash floods on a raised river bank.
In 2022, monsoon floods submerged a third of the country and killed 1,700 people.
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