ISLAMABAD - At least 40 people lost their lives and as many received injuries due to heavy rain and snowfall that brought life to a standstill in several parts of Pakistanآ’s northern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) and southwestern Balochistan provinces, said officials on Monday.

According to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority of KPK spokesperson, Taimor Khan told media that the death toll from torrential rain and snowfall in KPK in the last 48 hours reached 35 on Monday while 43 people sustained injuries in separate rain-related incidents. He said that 46 houses across the province were completely damaged in rainfall and landslides while over 300 were partially destroyed. The official said that Charsadda, Lower and Upper Dir, Malakand, Mohmand, Bannu, Khyber, Bajaur, Nowshera, Peshawar, Shangla and Kohistan districts were affected by rainfall.

Meanwhile, the provincial authority in Balochistan province confirmed that five people, including children, had died in roof collapse incidents since the start of the rain spell.

Over 82 houses were fully damaged and over 120 houses suffered partial damage in the province where the intensity of cold increased after snowfall was recorded on the hilltops in Kalat, Ziarat, Chaman and Quetta districts. The relief operations are underway in nine districts of Balochistan including Gwadar, Quetta, Kech, Kharan, Chaman, Kohlu, Kila Saifullah and Kachi and Zhob. So far, over 900 people across Balochistan have been rescued and moved to safer locations.

Several major thoroughfares in KPK, Balochistan and Gilgit Baltistan provinces were blocked at multiple points since the start of the spell three days ago. (end) sbk.aa

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