In Pakistan, 54 dead in 24 hours from rains during summer monsoon
"In the past 24 hours, 54 people have died and 227 have been injured across Pakistan, with Punjab province accounting for the highest number of victims," a spokeswoman for the Disaster Management Authority told AFP, specifying that the toll had been recorded up until 8 a.m. (0300 GMT). The meteorological service has warned of a high risk of heavy rainfall and possible flash floods in the next 48 hours.
The authorities of Rawalpindi, 15 to 20 km from the capital Islamabad, declared Thursday a public holiday to encourage residents to stay home. "Residents of at-risk areas should prepare emergency kits with food, water, and medicine for three to five days," they said. Following the flooding of a river crossing the city, residents were also asked to evacuate their homes. According to the spokeswoman for the Disaster Management Authority, about 180 people, including 70 children, have died and 500 have been injured since the start of the summer monsoon in late June.
Pakistan is one of the countries most vulnerable to the effects of climate change, and its 255 million inhabitants are experiencing increasingly frequent extreme weather events. The summer monsoon brings 70 to 80 percent of South Asia's annual rainfall between June and September and is vital for the livelihoods of millions of farmers in a region of about two billion people. But Pakistan is still struggling to recover from the devastating 2022 floods, which affected nearly a third of the country and more than 33 million people. About 1,700 people were killed at that time and a large portion of crops was lost.
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