
Monsoon rains kill 111 in Pakistan since late June, disaster agency says
The latest data showed that between June 26 and July 14 there were 111 deaths across the country, with electrocution the leading cause of fatalities, followed by flash floods. — AFP

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Free Malaysia Today
18 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Texas flood death toll rises to 131 as new storms loom
Rain falls over a makeshift memorial for flood victims along the Guadalupe River in Kerrville, Texas. (AP pic) KERRVILLE : The official tally of storm-related deaths across Texas rose to 131 on Monday as authorities warned of yet another round of heavy rains 10 days after a Hill Country flash flood that transformed the Guadalupe River into a killer torrent. A National Weather Service flood watch forecasting heavy downpours of up to half a foot of rain was posted until Tuesday morning for a wide swath of central Texas extending from the Rio Grande east to San Antonio and Austin. The advisory included Kerr County and other parts of Texas Hill Country along the Guadalupe still recovering from the July 4 flood disaster, which ravaged the county seat of Kerrville and a riverside Christian summer camp for girls in the nearby town of Hunt. Riverfront residents as well as search teams still combing the banks of the waterway were advised to seek higher ground until the latest danger had passed. The search for additional victims along the Guadalupe was likewise suspended due to flood concerns on Sunday. Texas governor Greg Abbott on Monday said storms had claimed at least 131 lives in Texas since July 4, the bulk of those deaths in and around Kerrville, up from 120 reported on Friday. He said 97 people were still listed as missing in the greater Kerrville area, down from the 160-plus who authorities said were unaccounted for last week. About a third of the Kerr County fatalities are children, most of whom perished at Camp Mystic when floodwaters raged through the girls-only summer retreat before dawn on July 4. Authorities have not rescued anyone alive since the day of the floods, when more than a foot of rain fell in less than an hour in the heart of a region known as 'flash flood alley,' sending a deadly wall of water down the Guadalupe River basin. Abbott said state lawmakers would investigate the circumstances of the flooding, disaster preparedness and emergency response to the flooding at a special legislative session set to convene later this month. The high casualty toll, ranking as one of the deadliest US flood events in decades, has raised questions about the lack of flash-flood warning sirens in Kerr County and vacancies left at National Weather Service offices amid staffing cuts under the Trump administration.


Malay Mail
a day ago
- Malay Mail
Monsoon rains kill 111 in Pakistan since late June, disaster agency says
ISLAMABAD, July 14 — Pakistan's disaster agency on Monday said 111 people including 53 children have been killed in incidents linked to heavy monsoon rains which arrived in late June. The latest data showed that between June 26 and July 14 there were 111 deaths across the country, with electrocution the leading cause of fatalities, followed by flash floods. — AFP


The Sun
2 days ago
- The Sun
Syria says wildfires contained after 10 days
DAMASCUS: Syria's civil defence agency on Sunday said wildfires in the country's west, which have burned vast tracts of forest and farmland and forced evacuations, had been brought under control after 10 days. In a statement on Facebook, the agency said that 'with the spread of the fires halted and the fire hotspots brought under control on all fronts' on Saturday, teams on the ground were working to cool down the affected areas while monitoring any signs of reignition. The blazes in the coastal province of Latakia broke out amid an intense heatwave across the region. The UN humanitarian agency OCHA said they destroyed about 100 square kilometres (40 square miles) of forest and farmland. As the fires raged, Syrian emergency workers faced tough conditions including high temperatures, strong winds, rugged mountainous terrain and the danger of explosive war remnants. This all comes in a country worn down by years of conflict and economic crisis. In a post on X, the Syrian minister for emergencies and disaster management, Raed al-Saleh, said that with help from Turkish, Jordanian, Lebanese, Qatari and Iraqi teams, firefighters had 'managed to halt the spread of the fire on all fronts, which is the most important step toward containing the wildfires.' The 'situation is the best it has been in the past 10 days', Saleh said late Saturday. 'There are still threats due to wind activity, but we are working to prevent any renewed expansion of the fires,' the minister added. The civil defence agency said rescue teams were carrying out 'operations to open pathways and firebreaks within the forests... in order to reduce the chances of fire spreading in case of reignition'. Authorities have not reported any casualties, but several towns in Latakia province have been evacuated as a precaution. Nearly seven months after the ousting of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad, Syria is still reeling from more than a decade of civil war that ravaged the country's economy, infrastructure and public services. With man-made climate change increasing the likelihood and intensity of droughts and wildfires worldwide, Syria has also been battered by heatwaves and low rainfall. In June, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation told AFP that Syria had 'not seen such bad climate conditions in 60 years'. – AFP