At least 12 people killed in Pakistan flash floods

At least 12 people killed in Pakistan flash floods

At least 12 people have been killed in flash floods across Pakistan, authorities say.

Six members of one family were among the dozen people killed by floods triggered by heavy monsoon rains across Pakistan, officials said on Monday.

The family died in the Himalayan valley of Kashmir region when heavy rains swept away the car they were in.

The husband, wife, two children, and two other relatives, who were in the car all died because of the ongoing storms there, police officer Mohamed Naveed told reporters.

Meanwhile, in the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, three people were killed when rains washed away their house.

Three children also died when the roof of their home collapsed after heavy rain in southwestern Balochistan Province, provincial government spokesman Jan Buledi announced.

Authorities warned of more heavy rains across the country in the coming days.

Military and civilian rescue agencies were on high alert, according to Reema Zuberi, the spokeswoman for the country’s national disaster department.

Last year, similar rains and floods killed nearly 400 people and destroyed crops on thousands of acres of lands.

Every year, the monsoon – a rainy season that starts from mid-July and lasts till end of August- hits Pakistan hard.

In 2010, flooding killed 1,200 people and impacted one-fifth of the population of 180 million.

Pakistan is vulnerable to an abrupt change in weather patterns due to global warming, experts believe.

In the past, scientists have warned of more severe consequences for Pakistan as a result of the annual monsoon season.