More than 20 people have died in the last 10 days in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in northern Pakistan as a result of heavy rains.
Many were killed by heavy rain or flooding that caused roofs, walls or entire buildings to collapse. This is common in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where fragile or poor housing makes many communities vulnerable to severe weather.
Heavy rain fell in the province from July 11-12, 2021. Saidu Sharif, the capital of Swat District, recorded 110 mm of rain in the 24 hours to July 12, while Kakul in Abbottabad District recorded 180 mm of rain in the same period, according to data provided by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Disaster Management Authority (KPMA).
Between July 11 and July 15, four people died when buildings or roofs collapsed in heavy rain in Lower Dir, Abbottabad and Tank districts. Heavy rain also caused flash flooding in Dera Ismail Khan district, where 1 person was killed, and a landslide in Lower Kohistan, where 4 people were killed and 7 injured.
After a brief respite, heavy rain began again on July 18, causing flash floods in Upper Dir and Kohat, where a total of 5 people were killed. The rain also caused a wall to collapse in the Karak area, killing 2 people.
On July 20, 3 people were killed by flash floods in Lower Dir and 1 by flash floods in Shangal district. Heavy rain caused roofs to collapse in Khokhat (2 deaths) and Kurram (1 death).
