Flood Death Toll Rises to 92 in Pakistan

Photo: Pakistan Meteorological Department

Flash floods took the lives of 92 people due to heavy rainfall on 2 April 2016. These floods, a result of rains from 2-3 April, also injured as many as 77 people and damaged over 1,200 homes.

At least 65 of the reported fatalities occurred in the worst-hit province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Another 15 deaths occurred in Gilgit-Baltistan and another 12 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

Lightning Video

The below video, powered by Earth Networks Total Lightning, shows the lightning over the region during the storms that caused the flash floods. These rains also came with a high frequency of lightning. Lightning struck a home in Chakesar village, killing 1 and injuring 8.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) said that between 2 and 3 April, at least four locations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa recorded the highest amounts of rain ever seen in a 24-hour period. The PMD also reported that from 1 April to 18 April the rainfall amount in Pakistan has been 33% above the normal level.

Graph: PMD

On top of the flooding, the rains also loosened soil and contributed to landslides. A devastating landslide occurred in the upper Kohistan Valley area on 4 April 2016. This landslide buried approximately 30 people and there are still some bodies unaccounted for.

Photo: PMD

Another small landslide on 3 April killed three and injured six in Lewanay Village in Shangla. Loosened soil in the mountainous area of Nishan Banda contributed to major cracks and the evacuation of approximately 25-30 houses in the area. Mud house collapses also took a couple lives during the storm.