Monsoon rains in Pakistan claim over 70 lives

LAHORE: At least 70 people have been killed as a result of heavy monsoon rains in Pakistan, as authorities warned more intense rainfall and flash floods could be imminent.



Most of the deaths were caused by roof collapses in buildings and electrocution in Punjab and Azad Kashmir.

At least 50 people mostly women and children have been killed in different incidents of roof collapses in Punjab province during the last 48 hours while ibn Azad Kashmir the toll stands at 30.

Sources said that flooding in the River Chenab has even bloated the commotion as it has inundated several villages.



In the recent incidents of roof collapse, a woman was killed while five others including a child were injured in Shahdara area of Lahore. Three others were also injured in different rain-related incidents.

A man and his wife were also killed when the roof of their house came down in Rasoolpur in Okara while in Chiniot, three persons sustained injuries in different incidents.

A man lost his life and two others were injured in landsliding incident in Sawan area of Rawalpindi.

In another tragic incident of roof collapse that occurred in Azad Kashmir, four children lost their lives while the casualties also occurred in different rain-related incidents in Haripur.

Four persons of a family including a woman and her two children were killed in another incident in Khanpur while a boy and his sister were killed in Ghazi area.

Disaster Management Agency chairman Akram Sohail told that there had been some flash flooding in the Himalayan territory and warned that the rivers Jhelum and Neelum were close to overflowing in some places.

Pakistan's meteorological office warned that more heavy rain and thunderstorms were expected in Punjab and the north of the country in the coming 72 hours and could cause flooding in major rivers.