Heavy rains hit southern Pakistan, the death toll from this monsoon rises to 209

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Flash floods triggered by monsoon rains have inundated roads in southern Pakistan and blocked a major highway in the north, officials said Monday, bringing the death toll from rain-related incidents since July 1 to 209.

Fourteen people have died in Punjab province in the past 24 hours, said Irfan Ali, an official with the provincial disaster management authority. Most of the other deaths occurred in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh provinces.

Pakistan's annual monsoon season runs from July to September. Scientists and weather forecasters blame climate change for the heavier rainfall in recent years. In 2022, climate-related rains flooded a third of the country, killing 1,739 people and causing $30 billion in damage.

Zaheer Ahmed Babar, a senior official at Pakistan Meteorological Department, said the recent heavy rains will continue in parts of the country this week. The downpour in southern Pakistan has flooded roads in Sukkur district of Sindh province.

Authorities said they were clearing landslides on the key Karakoram highway in the north. Flash floods have also damaged some bridges in the north and disrupted traffic.

The government advised tourists to avoid the affected areas.

More than 2,200 houses have been damaged across Pakistan since July 1, when monsoon rains began, the National Disaster Management Authority said.

Neighbouring Afghanistan has also seen rain and flooding since May, killing more than 80 people. On Sunday, three people died when their vehicle was washed away by floodwaters in Ghazni, provincial police said.

___

Associated Press writers Rahim Faiez and Asim Tanveer contributed to this story from Islamabad and Multan.

Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.