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Nearly half of the 266 deaths attributed to Pakistan’s unusually heavy monsoon rains are children, many of whom were on their national school holidays, officials reported Friday.
The majority of fatalities have occurred in Punjab province, Pakistan’s most populous region, where monsoon rainfall has been 70 per cent higher than last year.
Mazhar Hussain from the Punjab Provincial Disaster Management Agency explained that children are particularly vulnerable, often playing or bathing in floodwaters, leading to risks like electrocution. “That’s why their ratio is higher than any other, especially because it’s a holiday in Punjab, so schools and colleges are closed,” Hussain told AFP.
The national disaster agency confirmed that 126 of the 266 deaths since the monsoon began on June 26 have been children.
Causes of death include flash floods, building collapses, lightning strikes, and drownings, with hundreds more injured.
An agency spokeswoman noted that such high death tolls are typically seen later in the monsoon season, usually in August, indicating a “markedly different” impact this year. Rains are expected to intensify further next month.
Recent incidents include a landslide in the tourist-popular Gilgit-Baltistan region that swept away several cars this week. In late June, at least 13 tourists died after being swept away by flash floods while seeking shelter.
Pakistan’s monsoon season, vital for agriculture and food security, runs from late June to September, bringing 70 to 80 per cent of South Asia’s annual rainfall. In 2022, devastating monsoon floods submerged a third of Pakistan and claimed 1,700 lives.
