Heavy rains have caused 54 deaths in the past 24 hours in Pakistan, pushing the monsoon-related death toll to around 180 since late June, the government’s disaster agency said Thursday.
Torrential rain has pounded Punjab province almost nonstop since Wednesday, triggering urban flooding and house collapses. Rescue teams used boats to evacuate families stranded in villages along the river, though water levels began receding by afternoon.
“Children were screaming for help, and women stood on rooftops, waving their shawls and begging to be rescued,” said 51-year-old farmer Taria Mehbood Bhatti from Ladian village.
