Heavy rains in northwestern Pakistan kill 8 people, mostly children

Heavy rains killed eight people, most of them children, and injured 12 others in northwest Pakistan, an official said Saturday.

Downpours in different districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province caused rooms to collapse, crushing people inside, according to Anwar Shahzad, spokesman for the local disaster management authority.

Shahzad said three of the dead were siblings aged 3 to 7, from the same family. The casualties occurred in the past 24 hours, he added.

Pakistan experienced a delay in winter rains this year, which began in February instead of November. Monsoon and winter rains cause damage to Pakistan every year.

Earlier this month, around 30 people died in rain-related incidents in the northwest.

Through border in AfghanistanHeavy rains on March 29 and 30 destroyed more than 1,500 acres of agricultural land, causing severe damage to hundreds of homes and critical infrastructure like bridges and roads in seven provinces, the Bureau of Agriculture said Saturday. coordination of United Nations humanitarian affairs.

The most affected provinces are northern Faryab, eastern Nangarhar and central Daikundi.

It is the third time the northern region has suffered flooding in less than a month, with seven people killed and 384 families affected by heavy rains, the UN agency said.