Nearly 400 killed, over 6,900 rescued in latest spell of monsoon rains in Pakistan
ISLAMABAD: Nearly 400 people have been killed and over 6,900 rescued during the latest spell of monsoon rains in northern Pakistan that began late last week, officials said on Tuesday, as the government launched a nationwide survey to assess damage to homes and infrastructure.
The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said of the 400 deaths since Friday, 356 were killed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) alone, a mountainous northwestern province hit by cloudbursts, flash floods, lightning strikes and landslides in the deadliest downpour of this year’s monsoon season.
In total, 707 Pakistanis have perished in this year’s monsoon season that began on June 26, according to an NDMA situation report released on Tuesday evening.
Addressing a joint news conference on Tuesday, Pakistan’s army and government spokesmen and the chief of the NDMA said coordinated relief and rescue operations had been stepped up in affected parts of KP and the mountainous Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) region.
