World News | Heavy Monsoon Rains Leave 77 Dead over 3 Weeks in Pakistan
Get latest articles and stories on World at LatestLY. At least 77 people, including women and children, have died in rain-related incidents across Pakistan during the past three weeks, the country's minister for climate change said on Wednesday.
Quetta, Jul 6 (AP) At least 77 people, including women and children, have died in rain-related incidents across Pakistan during the past three weeks, the country's minister for climate change said on Wednesday.
The monsoon rains also damaged homes, roads, bridges and power stations across the country since June 14, Sherry Rehman told a news conference in the capital, Islamabad, as storms continued lashing the country.
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Rehman said 39 of the 77 people died in rain-related incidents just in Baluchistan since last month.
"This is a national disaster," Rehman said about the rain-related casualties.
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TV footage showed some vehicles being swept away by the deluges of floods in Baluchistan.
Heavy rain also lashed Islamabad and the eastern Punjab province.
In a statement, Pakistan's President Arif Alvi expressed his grief and sorrow over the loss of life in Baluchistan and elsewhere in the country.
Streets and homes were flooded in Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan province, the provincial disaster management agency said.
Rehman the recent rains in Pakistan were 87% heavier than the average downpour.
She linked the new pattern to the changes in climate, saying Pakistan should be ready to face more flooding because the country's glaciers are melting at a faster pace. That's causing flash floods that have damaged infrastructure.
Naseer Nasar, a spokesman at the Baluchistan disaster management agency, told The Associated Press that at least 50 people were injured in rain-related incidents in the province since June. He said rescuers were transporting people to safer places away from floods and rain-hit areas in Baluchistan. (AP)
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)