Floods, quake kill 39 in Pakistan

Torrential rains, floods and an earthquake have left at least 39 people dead and affected more than 250,000 villagers in Pakistan, disaster management officials said yesterday, AFP reports from Islamabad.
Severe weather and swollen rivers have caused havoc in the north and south of the country, sweeping away dozens of roads and bridges in Chitral district in the northern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, while floods have inundated villages in south Punjab, according to government authorities.
Livestock and people have also been swept away in the southwestern Baluchistan province and in the northeastern Kashmir region, officials said.
"According to the reports we have received until now, 26 people have been killed in Chitral, three in Punjab province and seven in Baluchistan," said Ahmed Kamal, a spokesman for the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).
"Up to 350 villages have been damaged in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and 422 in Punjab. An overall population of 250,000 has been affected due to floods," he added.
At least eight members of the same family were killed on Friday night in Chitral when their house was swept away in the gushing floodwaters, an official in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa said.
Another family of four were killed when their car was carried off by a water channel in Khuzdar district in Baluchistan, according to the disaster management authority there.
Meanwhile, at least three people were killed when a 5.1-magnitude earthquake struck northern Pakistan early yesterday, officials said.
The United States Geological Survey said the tremor struck at a relatively shallow depth of 26 kilometres, with its epicentre located 15 km to the northeast of Islamabad.
Residents of the Pakistani capital reported buildings and vehicles shaking after the quake hit at 1:59 am local time (2059 GMT Friday).
Local meteorologists measured the quake at 4.6 magnitude with a depth of just 10 km.
An official in the northwestern town of Abbottabad, around 50 km from Islamabad, said two women and a nine-year-old child were killed when their house collapsed.

Floods, quake kill 39 in Pakistan

Torrential rains, floods and an earthquake have left at least 39 people dead and affected more than 250,000 villagers in Pakistan, disaster management officials said yesterday, AFP reports from Islamabad. Severe weather and swollen rivers have caused havoc in the north and south of the country, sweeping away dozens of roads and bridges in Chitral district in the northern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, while floods have inundated villages in south Punjab, according to government authorities. Livestock and people have also been swept away in the southwestern Baluchistan province and in the northeastern Kashmir region, officials said. According to the reports we have received until now, 26 people have been killed in Chitral, three in Punjab province and seven in Baluchistan, said Ahmed Kamal, a spokesman for the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). Up to 350 villages have been damaged in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and 422 in Punjab. An overall population of 250,000 has been affected due to floods, he added. At least eight members of the same family were killed on Friday night in Chitral when their house was swept away in the gushing floodwaters, an official in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa said. Another family of four were killed when their car was carried off by a water channel in Khuzdar district in Baluchistan, according to the disaster management authority there. Meanwhile, at least three people were killed when a 5.1-magnitude earthquake struck northern Pakistan early yesterday, officials said. The United States Geological Survey said the tremor struck at a relatively shallow depth of 26 kilometres, with its epicentre located 15 km to the northeast of Islamabad. Residents of the Pakistani capital reported buildings and vehicles shaking after the quake hit at 1:59 am local time (2059 GMT Friday). Local meteorologists measured the quake at 4.6 magnitude with a depth of just 10 km. An official in the northwestern town of Abbottabad, around 50 km from Islamabad, said two women and a nine-year-old child were killed when their house collapsed.