The official data paints a grim picture, with Punjab accounting for 123 of the total deaths. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa recorded 40 deaths, Sindh 21, Balochistan 16, and Islamabad and Azad Jammu and Kashmir reported one each.
The causes of death varied widely, with at least 118 killed due to house collapses, 30 from flash floods, and others due to drowning, lightning strikes, electrocution, and landslides. The rains have injured more than 560 people, including 182 children.Most of the deaths were caused by collapsing buildings, according to the National Disaster Management Authority. Twenty-four of those who died were children, the agency said.
This is the latest extreme weather to hit Pakistan, which has seen intense heat waves and floods in recent years. Scientists and officials have linked these events to climate change.
This monsoon season in Pakistan began in late June, and the heavy rains have killed at least 180 people and injured hundreds more, the national disaster authority said. More than 80 of the dead were children.
Chakwal, around 60 miles south of Islamabad, Pakistan’s capital, was among the hardest-hit areas. The floods inundated several villages in the district and damaged infrastructure, including power lines.
“The floodwaters engulfed our homes and crops before my eyes,” said Malak Jamil, 56, a small farm owner in Chakwal. In a phone interview, he estimated his losses at more than $6,000, several times his yearly income. “I have no idea how I will recover from this,” Mr. Jamil said.
The floods cut off road access to many areas. The Pakistani military deployed helicopters to evacuate more than a hundred stranded people, according to the state broadcaster Pakistan Television. The authorities have urged people in low-lying areas to heed evacuation orders when they are issued and leave for higher ground immediately.
