Heavy monsoon rains, floods kill 110 in Pakistan, 86 in India

PanARMENIAN.Net - Heavy monsoon rains and flash floods have killed 110 people in Pakistan and 86 people in India, officials said Saturday, Sept 6, as forecasters warned of more rain in the coming days and troops raced to evacuate people from deluged areas, the Associated Press reports.

The annual monsoon season has struck hard across the region, leaving people to wade through rushing water in towns and villages across Pakistan and in Indian-controlled areas of Kashmir, where authorities say they are seeing some of the worst flooding in decades.

Ahmad Kamal, a spokesman for Pakistan's National Disaster Management Authority, said at least 61 people died in the eastern Punjab province since Thursday. He said another 38 people died in the Pakistan's portion of Kashmir and 11 died in northern Gilgit Baltistan province.

Kamal said officials believe all those were killed when the roofs of their homes collapsed. He said the delgue has injured 148 people across the country.

In India, authorities put the death toll at 86 people, including 27 people killed when a bus filled with those attending wedding washed away in a flooded stream. Four passengers managed to swim away, but around 30 others remain unaccounted for, officials said, according to the AP.

At least 300 federal rescue workers have joined thousands of state police and soldiers to rescue tens of thousands of people stranded across the region. Dozens of bridges have been damaged or washed away.

Authorities fear the death toll may rise in the region as more flooding and rain is forecast for the coming days.

Pakistan and India suffer widespread flooding during the annual monsoon season. In 2010, flash floods killed 1,700 people in Pakistan.