Flooding in Pakistan, India kills dozens, washes mosque away

More than 60 are dead after floods struck northern Pakistan and India, washing away a mosque during Ramadan prayers, authorities told CNN Sunday.

Authorities fear more monsoon rains will bring further disaster this week.

The death toll hit 41 in the Chitral district in far northeast Pakistan by the Afghanistan border, where 23 people are reported missing, said Kyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) provincial disaster management authority spokesman Latif Ur Rehman. The region is susceptible to flash floods.

The National Disaster Management Authority has predicted monsoon rains in the days ahead.

The torrential rain hit the village of Ursoo Saturday evening, where at least 16 people died when flood waters deluged a mosque, Rehman said.

Worshipers were offering taraweeh, the extra prayer performed by Sunni Muslims at night during Ramadan, he said.

Efforts by the Pakistani Army and rescue workers were hobbled because the flood hit at night, Rehman said.

On Sunday the Pakistan Army announced via Facebook that troops were engaged in a relief and rescue operation in Chitral, providing food, tents and medical aid.

At least 70 houses have been destroyed or severely damaged, authorities said.

India

In the northern Indian state of Uttrakhand, 28 are dead and another 18 are missing, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police Force (ITBP) and National Disaster Response Force and Civil Defense (NDRF) told CNN.

Vivek Pandy, ITBP Spokesperson said the remote location of some areas were slowing down rescue efforts.

Landslides resulting from the heavy rains have buried roads under heavy rock and debris, blocking access.

Temporary kitchens have been set up for people displaced by the rains, Pandy said.

Exit mobile version