ISLAMABAD (Kashmir English): At least 38 people have been killed and 120 injured since the onset of the monsoon season on June 26, with Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa logging the highest death toll of 23.
According to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) latest daily situation report released on Friday, Punjab recorded 10 deaths and Balochistan five, while no fatalities reported in Sindh, Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, or Islamabad.
Punjab also recorded the highest number of injuries, with 64, followed by Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa with 43 and Balochistan 13.
The authority said house collapses remained the leading cause of monsoon-related deaths, accounting for 65.8% of all fatalities.
Similarly, lightning strikes were responsible for 15.8% of deaths, followed by flash floods at 7.9%.
Incidents involving solar panels and drowning each accounted for 2.6% of fatalities, while falling trees and electrocution were also responsible for 2.6% each.
Since June 26, monsoon-related incidents have damaged 150 houses, including 68 that were destroyed and 82 that were partially damaged, according to the NDMA.
A total of 177 livestock animals also perished, while 3.12 kilometres of roads were damaged, including 2.52km in GB and 0.6km in KP.
No bridges have been reported damaged. Rescue teams have carried out 50 operations, rescuing 466 people, including 300 in GB, 116 in KP and 50 in Punjab.
The NDMA said no deaths, injuries, damage to houses or livestock losses were reported during the past 24 hours.
The only incident recorded was the blockage of a 0.1-kilometre stretch of the Chipursan Road in Hunza, GB, caused by rain-related disruption. Authorities later restored traffic after clearing the obstruction.
Monsoon activity likely to intensify
Meanwhile, the Pakistan Meteorological Department has warned that monsoon activity is expected to intensify across large parts of the country from today (July 18), with widespread rain, windstorms, and thunderstorms forecast through July 25.
There are rising risk of flash floods, urban flooding, and landslides.
Last year’s monsoon season caused widespread devastation across the country, claiming more than 1,000 lives and causing an estimated Rs822 billion in damage, according to the government’s assessment.
