Flash floods unleashed by torrential rains have killed at least 49 people in northwestern Pakistan and other regions in the past 24 hours, officials said Friday, as rescuers raced to evacuate 1,300 stranded tourists from a landslide-hit mountain district.
Since June 26, more than 360 people – most of them women and children – have died in rain-related disasters across the country.
Local officials said most of the latest fatalities occurred in northern and northwestern areas.
In the Gilgit-Baltistan region, at least 10 people were swept away and killed Thursday in Ghizer district, regional government spokesman Faizullah Faraq said.
Another 16 people, including women and children, also died Thursday in Bajaur district in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province when a massive cloudburst led to flash flooding, rescue official Amjad Khan said.
