215 killed in monsoon rains in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) — At least 215 were killed in rain-triggered accidents and floods in Pakistan so far in the monsoon season, including 20 deaths in the last 24 hours, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) reported on Monday.
A total of 43 people were reported to have suffered injuries in the last 24 hours, while the number of injured in the monsoon season starting from July went up to 405, the NDMA said in a report.
All through the season, the dead included 108 children and 32 women, said the report.
The eastern Punjab province was the worst affected area with 86 deaths, followed by the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the southern Sindh provinces with 65 and 37 deaths, respectively.
It added that 18 people were killed in the southwestern Balochistan province, five were killed in the Pakistan-controlled Kashmir and four died in the northern Gilgit-Baltistan region.
The NDMA also said that 448 livestock animals have perished, while 2,575 houses and 31 bridges were damaged during the cited period.
A fresh wet spell of moderate intensity with isolated heavy rainfalls is expected in the next 48 hours over the upper catchments of rivers Kabul, Indus and Jhelum in the country, according to the report.
A total of 86 camps for medical service and relief have been set up by the government, where 4,102 persons have got treatment or relief, it said.
The monsoon season runs through September in the South Asian country. ■