Heavy snowfall, rain claim nearly 75 lives in Pakistan

Islamabad: Avalanches and landslides triggered by heavy snowfall and incessant rain across Pakistan have left nearly 75 people, including women and children, dead and over 40 injured, media reports said on Tuesday.

Harsh weather conditions continue across Pakistan over the last three days, bringing normal life to a halt as road transport and communication remain severely affected.

About 75 people have died across the country after a severe cold wave brought life to a standstill in numerous areas, media reported.

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At least 57 people were killed and many others reported missing after avalanches hit Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in the last 24 hours, the report quoted a senior government officials as saying.

In Balochistan, 17 people were killed in rain and snowfall-related incidents across the province, it said.

According to the National Disaster Management Authority, 41 people have been injured while 35 houses destroyed in the country due to inclement weather conditions.

Hundreds of passengers, including women and children, were stuck in harsh weather on Monday as a massive snowstorm wreaked havoc in different parts of Balochistan.

On Monday, the media reports said at least 14 people, including women and children, were killed and over a dozen injured in several parts of Balochistan, Pakistan's largest province.

Relief, disaster and civil defence secretary Syed Shahid Mohyiddin Qadri told Dawn newspaper that heavy snowfall and rains have blocked several roads in high altitude areas.

Due to heavy snowfall on Khojak Top, the communication lines between Ziarat and Quetta have been severely affected. The Quetta-Chaman highway was also closed for traffic, he said.

In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the Karakoram highway was closed due to landsliding in the Pattan area of Lower Kohistan, while Chitral district was cut-off from the rest of the province due to heavy snowfall, he said.

Upper parts of the province Malakand and Hazara divisions received heavy snowfall, leading to the closure of main roads. Six people were injured and four houses collapsed in the rain-related incidents across Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, the officials said.

Heavy rain has caused flooding in low-lying areas of Sialkot, Gujrat and some other cities in the largest province of Punjab, the report said.

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(PTI)