Pakistan monsoon death toll hits 657; 1K hurt

At least 657 people died and nearly 1,000 were injured since late June in rain-related incidents in Pakistan, according to officials.

In a media briefing on Sunday, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) spokes­person Tayyab Shah said heavy monsoon rains were expected to persist until August 22. He warned that two to three more monsoon spells were expected to hit the country in September. Shah said this year, monsoon rainfall had been 50 to 60 per cent heavier than the last year. This year’s monsoon season ranked among the most destructive in recent memory, he said. According to NDMA, 657 people — 171 children, 94 women and 392 men — died and 929 others were injured in rain-related incidents across Pakistan since June 26.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is the worst-hit province with 390 deaths — 288 men, 59 children and 43 women. In Punjab, 164 people — 70 children, 63 men and 31 women — died in rain-related incidents since June 26. While Sindh recorded 28 deaths, including 14 children and 4 women; in Balochistan, 20 people, including 11 children, died.

At least 32 people, including eight children, died in Gilgit-Baltistan, while 15 people, including five minors, were killed as heavy rains lashed Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Eight people, including four children, died in Islamabad.