Monsoon rains have killed at least 69 people across Pakistan, where flash floods swept through villages and troops were called in to evacuate residents, officials said on Friday.
The country’s meteorological service warned of more flash flooding over the weekend, after floods and landslides in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir killed 30 civilians and three soldiers in 24 hours.
In the Punjab Province, 36 people died when roofs collapsed on Thursday, said Ahmad Kamal, a spokesman for the National Disaster Management Authority. He added that authorities expected “exceptionally high floods” over the coming weekend.
The NDMA said Pakistan’s main rivers were swollen and that flash floods and heavy rains had damaged hundreds of homes.
The military said troops using helicopters and boats rescued 368 people from flood-affected areas near Islamabad on Friday.
In the capital itself, thousands of protestors who have been camped outside parliament for weeks to demand the resignation of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif huddled under makeshift tents and plastic sheeting.
