Death toll from 4 days of rains rises to 63 in Pakistan with more rain on the forecast

By RIAZ KHAN
Associated Press

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — Lightning and heavy rains led to 14 deaths in Pakistan, officials said Wednesday, bringing the death toll from four days of extreme weather to at least 63. Most of the deaths were reported in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, in Pakistan’s northwest. Collapsing buildings have killed 32 people, including 15 children and five women. Pakistan is seeing heavier rain in April due to climate change, said Zaheer Ahmed Babar, a senior official at the Pakistan Meteorological Department. In 2022, downpours swelled rivers and at one point flooded a third of Pakistan, killing 1,739 people and $30 billion in damages, from which Pakistan is still trying to rebuild. Meanwhile, flash floods have killed dozens of people in neighboring Afghanistan.