Over the past three days, severe rains and floods have tragically claimed the lives of more than two dozen individuals in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Authorities reported on Friday that torrential rains and flooding in Pakistan have led to at least 30 fatalities this week.
Lahore, Pakistan’s second-largest city, experienced its heaviest rainfall in over 40 years, marking a severe start to the monsoon season.
These monsoon rains have triggered widespread floods and landslides across South Asia. In neighboring India, at least 195 people have died, and nearly 200 are missing due to a catastrophic event.
Northern Pakistan has been particularly hard-hit, with floods causing building collapses and increasing the risk of electrocution.
In Punjab, officials reported, “The 44-year-old rainfall record was broken in Lahore once again,” with six deaths in the region. Authorities have also warned of potential flash floods in the country’s southern regions, including Karachi, later this week.
In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Anwar Shehzad, a spokesman for the province’s disaster management agency, told Reuters that 12 children were among the more than two dozen people who have died over the last three days due to the rains and floods.
Global organizations, including the United Nations, recognize Pakistan as one of the countries most vulnerable to extreme weather and climate change.
The country faced devastating floods in 2022, which resulted in over 1,700 deaths and displaced millions, highlighting the urgent need for improved disaster preparedness and climate resilience.
