The death toll due to the raging monsoon in Pakistan crossed the 200 mark on Monday, with at least 13 more people dying due to floods and rain-related incidents, according to news agency ANI.

According to Pakistan’s disaster management agency, the death toll was put at 216 and 580 were injured since June 26. As per Geo TV, a significant number of deaths have been due to roofs of homes with weak foundations collapsing. Other deaths reported were due to sudden flooding, lightning strikes and landslides.

The disaster management agency said out of the 13 deaths, 12 were reported in Punjab province and one in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Notably, among the 13 were four children and three women.

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) also confirmed that almost 800 houses had been destroyed.

There is also the fear of a new wave of floods due to glacier lake outbursts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Balistan.

The development came after 10 people were killed and 18 injured on Saturday (July 19), as reported by the NDMA. The data by the agency also shows that out of the total deaths, 135 were reported in Punjab and 42 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, according to PTI.

The seasonal downpour commenced on June 26 and triggered flash floods in the northwest regions of the country.

Out of the many regions hit by the incessant rain, the Punjab province has been the worst-hit, with a rain emergency declared in the region. The government, as a precautionary measure, has banned swimming or bathing in the region’s waterbodies.

As for the damage done to the infrastructure, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was the worst-hit.

Although the intensity of the rainfall has simmered down in intensity in the last few days, some scattered downpours were still being reported.

Pakistan, in 2022, faced a similar spell of downpour that caused damage estimated at around USD 40 billion and also took the lives of over 1,600 people.

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