Peshawar/Quetta, (Asian independent) Heavy downpour continued to pummel parts of Pakistan already battered by calamitous floods of epic proportions, unleashing a fresh wave of death and destruction in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Balochistan and Sindh provinces.
Scores of people died in KP, where heavy rains for the second consecutive day triggered devastating floods in rivers and streams that also swept away several homes near their banks, hotels in hilly resorts, while Balochistan remained cut off from the rest of the country due to fresh rains, The Express Tribune reported.
The KP government declared rain emergency in several districts as flash floods triggered by torrential rains wreaked havoc in most parts of the province, raising the province-wide death toll to at least 238 people, officials said.
They added that rain emergency, which came into effect immediately, would remain in place till August 30 as the Pakistan Meteorological Department forecast another spell of monsoon downpour which might continue in the next week, The Express Tribune reported.
Fresh torrential rains pummelled different parts of the province on the second consecutive day.
Heavy downpour in Kaghan Valley triggered flash flood in the Munnawar Nullah that swept away 10 people, according to official data.
More than 10 shops, two hotels and eight vehicles were swept away in Mahandri due to severe flooding in the stream.
A mosque, two schools and a police post were also damaged.
The Kaghan highway was closed for traffic at many places, while people on the Kunhar river banks had moved away to safer places.
