Violent Pakistan storms trigger floods, landslides killing 10
At least 10 people were killed and 43 injured as strong winds and thunderstorms triggered flash floods and destroyed homes in central and northern parts of Pakistan, officials said on Wednesday.
Four women and a man died in Pakistan-administered Kashmir and three in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the State Disaster Management Authority said, while other officials said two died in Punjab.
"One person is still missing," Haroon Rasheed, a senior government official in Pakistan administered Kashmir told AFP, adding that 12 houses and a mosque were destroyed in one village.
Storms on Saturday killed at least 14 people and injured over 100 more across the country, which is grappling with increasingly frequent extreme weather events blamed on climate change.
Stormy weather is expected to continue in northern and central parts of the country until Saturday, according to the National Disaster Management Authority.
Soaring temperatures in April and May are becoming more common in Pakistan, which usually sees summer begin in early June.
Temperatures reached near-record levels in April -- as high as 46.5 Celsius (116 Fahrenheit) in parts of Punjab.
Schools in Punjab and southwestern Balochistan provinces have closed early for summer vacations because of the heat.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Khaleej Times
2 hours ago
- Khaleej Times
Shahid Afridi breaks silence over Dubai event row, calls outrage 'uncalled for'
Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi has spoken out for the first time since a recent event in Dubai triggered backlash in India. He said he was surprised by the outrage and reiterated his long-held belief that sports should rise above politics. In an exclusive interview with Khaleej Times, the flamboyant all-rounder, nicknamed Boom Boom for his explosive batting, dismissed the criticism as 'uncalled for' 'Let's not politicise things,' Afridi said. 'It wasn't even a planned appearance.' The controversy erupted after Afridi and his former teammate Umar Gul were seen receiving a warm welcome by Keralites at an inter-collegiate dance event held at the Pakistan Association Dubai (PAD) building on May 25. The event, reportedly hosted by the alumni association of India's Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUBAA), coincided with Afridi's visit to PAD to celebrate a Guinness World Record for the most contributions to a handprint painting. Afridi, who also runs a fitness centre at the PAD facility, said some Indians spotted him and Umar Gul at the venue and invited them in. 'They were just excited to see us. We were happy to meet them and share a few light moments. That's all it was,' he said. Footage from the event showing Afridi being cheered by a largely Indian crowd quickly spread on social media, fueling criticism from certain groups in India amid ongoing tensions between the two nations. Afridi, however, urged calm. 'This kind of reaction is uncalled for. I've always supported sports diplomacy,' he said. 'Cricket has the power to bring people and countries closer. That's something I've believed in throughout my career.' He recalled with fondness his cricket tours to India, calling them some of the most memorable experiences of his life. 'To be honest, the respect I received in India as a cricketer and as a captain of Pakistan was overwhelming. I've said it before and I'll say it again: the love I got there, I didn't get anywhere else, not even in Pakistan,' Afridi said. Afridi stressed the importance of dialogue and people-to-people connections in resolving issues between India and Pakistan. 'If our politicians won't talk and we don't play each other, how will we ever solve anything?' he asked. Afridi said he often interacts with members of the Asian community and enjoys those conversations. 'I meet so many Indians wherever I go. We chat, we joke, we share cricket memories. There's mutual respect. It's always a pleasure.'
Khaleej Times
18 hours ago
- Khaleej Times
Indian police arrest 81 for 'sympathising' with Pakistan
Indian police have arrested scores of people for "sympathising" with Pakistan, a month after the worst conflict between the arch-rivals for decades, a top government official said Sunday. The arrests took place in the northeastern state of Assam, where Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said "81 anti-nationals are now behind bars for sympathising with Pak". Sarma, from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling party, said in a statement "our systems are constantly tracking anti-national posts on social media and taking actions". One of the persons was arrested after he posted a Pakistani flag on his Instagram, Assam police told AFP. No further details about other arrests were given. There has been a wider clampdown on social media since an April 22 attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir, the deadliest on civilians in the contested Muslim-majority territory in decades. New Delhi blamed Islamabad for backing the militants it said carried out the attack, charges that Pakistan denied. India and Pakistan then fought a four-day conflict, their worst standoff since 1999, before a ceasefire was agreed on May 10. India's counter-terrorism agency last month arrested a paramilitary police officer for allegedly spying for Pakistan, while authorities have arrested at least 10 other people on espionage charges in May, according to local media. Sarma is also pushing efforts to stem the contentious issue of illegal immigration. Assam shares a long and porous border with neighbouring Muslim-majority Bangladesh. Indian media have reported that Assam's government has allegedly rounded up dozens of alleged Bangladeshis in the past month and taken them to the frontier to cross. The Times of India newspaper on Saturday reported that Assam was "dumping them in no-man's land", suggesting that at least 49 had been pushed back between May 27-29 alone. The Assam government has not commented on the reports. Bangladesh, largely encircled by land by India, has seen relations with New Delhi turn icy, after the Dhaka government was toppled in an uprising last year. Bangladesh has also moved closer to China, as well as to Pakistan.
Khaleej Times
21 hours ago
- Khaleej Times
India's torrential monsoon rains kill at least 30 in northeast
Flash floods and landslides after torrential monsoon rain over the last two days killed at least 30 people in India's northeast, officials said on Sunday. State disaster management officials said eight people died in Assam, and nine in Arunachal Pradesh, many of them in landslides as earth loosened by the water slumped into the valley below. Another five people died in a landslide in the neighbouring state of Mizoram, state authorities said. The officials said that six people lost their lives in Meghalaya and at least two others were killed in the states of Nagaland and Tripura. A red alert warning was issued for several districts in the region after the non-stop downpour over the last three days. Rivers swollen by the lashing rain -- including the mighty Brahmaputra, which rises in the Himalayas and flows through India's northeast towards its delta in Bangladesh -- broke their banks across the region. The Indian army said that it had saved hundreds "in a massive rescue operation" across Manipur state. "People have been shifted to safer places", the army said on Saturday. "Food, water and essential medicines were provided." Conrad K Sangma, the chief minister of Meghalaya state, has ordered officials to remain on high alert "especially in landslide-prone and low-lying areas", he said in a statement. Scores of people die each year during the rainy season due to flash floods and landslides across India, a country of 1.4 billion people. India's annual monsoon season from June to September offers respite from the intense summer heat and is crucial for replenishing water supplies, but also brings widespread death and destruction. South Asia is getting hotter and in recent years has seen shifting weather patterns, but scientists are unclear on how exactly a warming planet is affecting monsoons. Last month, India's financial capital Mumbai was swamped by monsoon rain that began two weeks earlier than usual, the earliest for nearly a quarter of a century, according to weather forecasters.
