A winter storm has lashed Pakistan, causing torrential rains and flash floods.
At least 12 people were killed in flash floods in the country’s southwest and central regions, AP news agency reported on Thursday citing Pakistani officials.
The National Disaster Management Authority said flash floods submerged villages near the southwestern town of Lasbella, killing three people there and affecting nearly 200 families.
In central Pakistan, nine people were killed in three incidents of roof collapse amid heavy rains. Four of them died in the city of Multan.
Imran Zarqoon, a spokesman for the provincial disaster authority, said emergency workers were trying to rescue people from flooded parts of Lasbella in Balochistan province.
The winter storm also brought heavy rain and snow to neighbouring Afghanistan and other parts of Pakistan.
Seasonal downpours cause frequent landslides and flash floods in Pakistan, causing casualties and damaging crops and houses.
While the winter snow and rain brought the much-needed relief to Afghanistan as the country has been in the grip of a severe drought, the extreme weather disrupted normal life in Pakistan and neighbouring India.
The wet weather will gradually ease by Friday, although showers are still expected in northern India and parts of Pakistan.
SOURCE:
Al Jazeera and news agencies
