2 Weeks Of Monsoon Rains In Pakistan Have Killed At Least 55, Including 8 Children

 Associated Press

Published: July 7, 2023

A cyclist rides through a flooded road caused by heavy monsoon rainfall in Lahore, Pakistan, Wednesday, July 5, 2023. Officials say heavy monsoon rains have lashed across Pakistan, killing a number of people.

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LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — The death toll from two weeks of monsoon rains rose to at least 55 on Thursday after 12 people, including eight children, died in weather-related incidents in Pakistan amid fears of flash floods, authorities said.

The eastern city of Lahore witnessed a record-breaking downpour the previous day, flooding many streets and disrupting normal life. Since Wednesday, 19 people have died in the city due to collapsing roofs and electrocution, officials said. Pakistan's weather forecast agency warned of more rain to hit the city.

(​MORE: How To Survive If You're Caught In A Flood)

At least eight children died when a massive landslide hit Shangla, a district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan, officials said. Rescuers were trying to remove a large mud pile for fear that other missing children were buried.

Heavy rain also continued to lash the impoverished nation, overflowing the main rivers in the Punjab province, Jhelum and Chenab, prompting the disaster management agency to be on high alert for fear of flash floods.

The rains have returned to Pakistan a year after the climate-induced downpour swelled rivers and inundated at one point one-third of Pakistan, killing 1,739 people. The floods also caused $30 billion in damage in cash-strapped Pakistan in 2022.

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The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.