Heavy rains across northwest Pakistan, 36 killed and 27 injured

At least 36 people were killed and 27 injured after heavy rain across northwest Pakistan caused the roofs of dozens of homes to collapse, officials said on Sunday. The deaths were reported in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province during a downpour that began on Saturday night, a provincial disaster management agency spokesperson said. The number known to have died had now risen to 36, the spokesperson said, adding reports were still awaited from a few more remote areas. The worst-hit area was Kohistan where 12 deaths were reported, followed by Shangla district where rains and landslides killed 10 people.
Poorly-built homes, particularly in rural areas, are most susceptible to collapse during heavy spring rain. Severe weather hits the country every year, with hundreds killed and huge tracts of prime farmland destroyed in recent years, AFP reports.