Fresh monsoon rains kill more than 20 in Pakistan
Torrential downpours across Pakistan over the last week have caused flooding and landslides that swept away entire villages, leaving hundreds of people dead and dozens missing.
The National Disaster Management Authority said Wednesday that 10 more people had died in Karachi, the financial capital in the south, due to urban flooding that caused house collapses and electrocution. Eleven others died in the northern region of Gilgit-Baltistan, it added.
More than 400 people have been killed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a mountainous northwest province bordering Afghanistan, since last Thursday.
Landslides and flash floods are common during the monsoon season, which typically begins in June and lasts until the end of September. In total, the authority added, close to 750 Pakistanis have died since the season started.
Pakistan is among the world's most vulnerable countries to the effects of climate change and is increasingly facing extreme weather events. Monsoon floods submerged one-third of Pakistan in 2022, resulting in approximately 1,700 deaths.
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