5 children among 9 dead as rains batter parts of Pakistan

​​​​​​​By Yasin Gungor

ISTANBUL (AA) - At least nine people, including five children, have died as monsoon rains continue to batter parts of Pakistan, media reports said Tuesday.

Five deaths occurred in southwestern Balochistan province while four were reported in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province in the last 24 hours, according to the Dawn newspaper.

Thirty-nine people have died in rain-related incidents in the province since July 1, including 19 children, Younus Mengal, an official from Balochistan Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), told the newspaper.

The latest casualties were attributed to lightning strikes, roof collapses and drowning, according to a PDMA report.

Mengal said a new spell of rain entered the province Monday and was expected to continue until late Tuesday.

In KP, meanwhile, three people were killed when a bus was hit by a landslide, and a minor was killed by lightning in the Malakand district, Dawn said, citing PDMA spokesman Anwar Shahzad.

The heavy rains are associated with monsoon showers and remnants of Cyclonic Asna, affecting Sindh and Balochistan.

Relief and rescue efforts are underway in affected areas, with 11 districts in Balochistan declared calamity zones.