ISLAMABAD: At least 146 people were killed in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and eight in the northern Gilgit-Baltistan region over the past 24 hours as heavy rains and flash floods triggered multiple deadly incidents, figures from disaster authority officials showed.
Pakistan, which contributes less than 1 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, is among the countries most vulnerable to climate change. Nationwide deaths since this year’s monsoon season began in late June have crossed 460, according to an Arab News tally, evoking memories of 2022 when catastrophic monsoon rains and glacial melt submerged a third of the country, killing more than 1,700 people and causing over $30 billion in damages.
Scientists say rising temperatures are making South Asia’s monsoon rains more erratic and intense, increasing the risk of flash floods and landslides in mountainous regions like Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan.
“During the last 24 hours, 146 people have died and 15 have been injured in different incidents due to rains and flash floods,” the PDMA said in its preliminary report about the situation in KP province.
“Among the deceased are 126 men, 8 women and 12 children, while the injured include 12 men, 2 women and 1 child.”
