Islamabad, 3 March 2024 (dpa/MIA) – At least 26 people were killed after unusually heavy rain and thunderstorms wrought havoc in Pakistan, officials said on Sunday. 

The majority of the deaths were reported in the north-western province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa where at least 21 people including women and children died in rain-related incidents during the last 48 hours.

Another five people including a woman and three children were killed in the south-western province of Balochistan.

More than 50 people including women and children were wounded when roofs and walls collapsed, according to the provincial disaster management authorities for the two provinces.

Earlier this week, around 10,000 people from the coastal town of Gwadar in the south-west of the country were evacuated by rescuers after heavy rainfall submerged the area.

The military, rescue agencies and paramilitary troops are involved in the evacuation missions.

Climate change was held responsible for the untimely and unusually heavy spell of rain at the end of February.

Pakistan is among the 10 most vulnerable countries to climate change, despite the South Asian nation’s almost zero contribution to global carbon emissions, according to the United Nations.

Record flooding in 2022 killed more than 1,800 people when at least a quarter of the country was submerged by water gushing from the Himalayas after heavy rains.

Photo: EPA