A fisherman anchors his boat at the Karachi Port amid cyclonic winds in Karachi on August 29, 2024. | Photo Credit: AFP
“Heavy monsoon rains triggered a landslide that hit a house in a remote part of northwestern Pakistan, killing 12 people, mostly children,” a rescue official said on Friday (August 30, 2024).
Government emergency service official Inayat Ali said the landslide occurred overnight in Upper Dir in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, near Afghanistan. He said rescue workers have recovered the bodies of nine children, two women and a man. Mr Ali did not give any further information.
Officials have warned that heavy rains that began last month could trigger landslides and flash floods across Pakistan. Since July 1, more than 275 people have died in rain-related incidents in various parts of the country.
The annual monsoon season in Pakistan runs from July to September. Scientists have blamed climate change for heavy rains in recent years. In 2022, heavy rains submerged a third of the country, killing 1,739 people.