Rains kill 53 in northwest Pakistan, Kashmir

April 04, 2016 | 16:31

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At least 53 people were killed and 60 injured after heavy rain across northwest Pakistan and areas of Kashmir caused landslides and the roofs of dozens of homes to collapse, officials said on Sunday.

Pakistani vendors and residents gather beside flood waters rushing through a market area on the outskirts of Peshawar. Heavy rains have killed at least 121 people, injured 124 and damaged 852 houses since Mar 9 across Pakistan. (A MAJEED/AFP)

PESHAWAR, Pakistan: At least 53 people were killed and 60 injured after heavy rain across northwest Pakistan and areas of Kashmir caused landslides and the roofs of dozens of homes to collapse, officials said on Sunday (Apr 3).

The deaths were reported in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and in the Neelam valley in Pakistan-administered Kashmir after heavy downpours that began Saturday night.

The number known to have died rose to 45 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a provincial disaster management agency spokesman said, adding they were still waiting for reports from a few more remote areas.

The worst-hit area was Shangla district where 14 deaths were reported, followed by Kohistan region where rains and landslides killed 12 people.

Five children and three women were killed on Saturday night in the Kashmiri village of Sam Gung after a landslide caused by heavy rains buried two houses, local official Abdul Hameed Kiyani told AFP. He said the bodies were recovered Sunday evening.

Poorly-built homes across the country, particularly in rural areas, are susceptible to collapse during the annual spring rains, which are often heavy.

Severe weather in recent years have killed hundreds and destroyed huge tracts of prime farmland. During the rainy season last summer, torrential downpours and flooding killed 81 people and affected almost 300,000 people across the country.

AFP

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