Monsoon Roof Collapse Kills 11 in Northwest Pakistan

PESHAWAR-At least 11 people, most of them women and children, were killed overnight after heavy monsoon rain caused the roof of a mud-brick house to collapse in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, police and emergency officials said on Tuesday.

The incident occurred in Kohat district, where prolonged rainfall weakened the structure of the home before the roof gave way, according to Bilal Faizi, a spokesperson for the provincial emergency service.

Rescue teams recovered the bodies of 11 victims from the debris and handed them over to their families for burial, Faizi said. Authorities did not immediately provide further details about the identities of those killed.

The fatal collapse came as seasonal monsoon rains continued to affect several parts of Pakistan, bringing widespread disruption and increasing the risk of floods and landslides.

In the mountainous Gilgit-Baltistan region, heavy rainfall on Monday triggered multiple landslides that blocked key roads and damaged homes, according to regional emergency services.

The government has advised tourists to avoid travel to northern Pakistan because of the heightened threat of landslides, flash floods and other weather-related hazards during the ongoing monsoon season.

Pakistan experiences intense monsoon rainfall each year, with flooding and landslides regularly causing casualties, displacement and extensive damage to infrastructure and property.

The country’s vulnerability to extreme weather was highlighted in 2022, when unprecedented monsoon rains and catastrophic flooding submerged nearly one-third of Pakistan. According to official figures cited in the report, the disaster claimed 1,739 lives and caused an estimated $30 billion in economic losses.

Emergency authorities continue to monitor weather conditions as forecasts indicate further rainfall in several parts of the country, raising concerns about additional flooding and landslides in vulnerable areas.