Islamabad, July 23 (IANS) As torrential rainfall continues to wreak havoc across Pakistan, at least 234 people have lost their lives, and 596 have been injured since the onset of monsoon in the South Asian nation, local media reported on Wednesday.
According to the latest figures released by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), most of the 596 injuries reported nationwide involved children, women, and elderly persons, highlighting the disproportionate impact of the relentless rain on the country’s vulnerable groups.
The devastating impact of rainfall and flash floods has damaged 826 homes in the country. In addition, a rain-induced disaster claimed the lives of two men, two women, and eight children over the past 24 hours on Tuesday, while ten others were wounded.
Pakistan’s Punjab province has been the worst affected with a devastating death toll of 135, which included 48 men, 24 women, and 63 children, while 470 sustained injuries.
The high number of child casualties reflected the severe impact of the recent downpours on young lives, the leading Pakistani newspaper, The Express Tribune, reported.
Additionally, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) province recorded 56 deaths, comprising 16 men, 10 women, and 30 children. Another 71 individuals have been injured in the province due to devastating monsoon rain.
Meanwhile, in the Swat region of the K-P province, five children lost their lives in separate rain-related incidents.
In Malam Jabba’s Sur Dherai, while crossing a stream with their mother, two young boys drowned, while in Gujar Band Shanko, three children died, and a woman was critically injured in a house collapse triggered by rain.
Furthermore, in Sindh, 24 people died and 40 were injured, while in Balochistan, 16 people lost their lives and four were injured due to rain-triggered incidents.
The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has issued high-level alerts for persistent heavy to very heavy rainfall across several regions in the country.
The risk of urban flooding reportedly persists in Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Gujranwala, and other major cities.
The NDMA’s National Emergencies Operation Centre (NEOC) has urged all provincial authorities, rescue services, and humanitarian partners to remain on high alert.
–IANS
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