Islamabad - Monsoon rains and deluges wreaked havoc
throughout Pakistan, killing more than 100 people overnight and
causing widespread destruction, media reports said Tuesday.
The majority of the casualties were reported from the North-West
Frontier Province (NWFP) and its adjoining tribal areas, located near
the Afghan border, where flash floods swept away hundreds of mud
houses.
According to the Urdu-language Express newspaper, 25 people
drowned when three rescue boats capsized Monday near the province's
capital, Peshawar.
Up to 50 people died, mostly in roof collapses, in Peshawar and
the Khyber tribal district. Several hundred houses were destroyed by
raging floodwaters
Scores of people were marooned by floods and had to be rescued by
military helicopters, but the number of flights were kept low because
of the limited availability of aircraft.
Authorities said the scale of the damage was high because there
was no effective warning mechanism and encroachments had been made
along waterways.
Provincial emergency services distributed relief items, including
tents and blankets, to dozens of people left homeless by the floods
while asking the National Disaster Management Authority to send in
more relief supplies.
In the Rajanpur district in the eastern province of Punjab, at
least 12 people were killed in flash floods that also destroyed
crops, the Daily Times newspaper said.
Most parts of Pakistan are seeing torrential rains which, the
Meteorological Department said, are likely to continue for a few days.
Your Talkback on this Story