Rains, floods kill at least 88 people in KP since July

• Those dead include 43 children, 26 men and 19 women.
• At least 129 people have been injured owing to devastations.
• "A total of 958 houses were damaged by rains," says PDMA. 

The ongoing rains and floods in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have claimed the lives of at least 88 people from July 1 till date, the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) said on Saturday.

According to the authority, the persistent monsoon season has so far claimed the lives of at least 43 children, 26 men and 19 women.

On the other hand, at least 129 people have been injured owing to the devastations in the wake of the torrential rains since last month. Those injured include 61 children, 39 men and 29 women, said PDMA.

"A total of 958 houses were damaged by rains," added the authority.

The destruction, triggered by the rain, has completely destroyed 260 houses and partially damaged 698.

The numbers have been estimated a day after at least 12 members of the same family, including nine children, were killed when a massive landslide hit a house in the Upper Dir district.

According to the police, the tragic incident took place in the Maidan area of Upper Dir in the wee hours of Friday. 

Tourist trapped in Kumrat hotel

Meanwhile, the ongoing rains have also impacted the movement of tourists in KP with dozens stuck in the Upper Dir district's Kumrat valley.

Assistant Commissioner Focal Person Shahid Ali told Geo News that the tourists trapped in their hotel room in the valley could not get out even on the third day.

As per the official, efforts are being made to evacuate the tourists safely today.

"At least 50 to 70 tourists have also been asked to come to Jaaz Banda," said Ali.

The rehabilitation of the Dir-Kumrat highway at Barikot has also begun, while the government is providing food and drinking items to the trapped tourists, said the official.

Pakistan is hit by heavy monsoon rains with the Pakistan Meteorological Department forecasting more widespread rain with windstorm all across the country for the next few days.

In a statement released on Friday, the Met Office said heavy rainfall was likely in Sindh, northeast/south Balochistan, northeast/central Punjab, Potohar region, Islamabad, KP, Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) and Kashmir in 24 hours.

The weather pattern, it added, may trigger landslides in Murree, Galliyat, Mansehra, Kohistan, Chitral, Dir, Swat, Shangla, Buner, Kashmir and GB.