At least 43 people were killed, hundreds of others injured and thousands displaced in flooding and rain-related incidents in Pakistan's Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces, officials said on Saturday.Chitral district of Khyber Pakhtunkwa province was the worst-hit, with 30 people being killed in flash floods caused by heavy monsoon rain, Xinhua reported citing the Provincial Disaster Management Authority.Torrential rain triggered flash floods that damaged houses, shops, hospitals, bridges and government installations. Over 300 houses were swept away in floodwater.Four roads linking other parts to Chitral district were damaged, while 40 bridges were swept away by the floodwater.
The flood destroyed 11 irrigation channels and over 60 water supply schemes, cutting off drinking water supply to the district.Crops in around 1,200 acres of land were also destroyed.Punjab was also badly hit by heavy rain. Three people were killed and many rendered homeless, Xinhua said.The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said rain water inundated over 100 villages in Punjab, affecting hundreds of families.Ten people were killed in Balochistan, where a bus carrying pilgrims was swept away in flash floods.Teams from the NDMA and Pakistan Army were carrying out rescue and relief work.Around 350 villages have been damaged in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and 422 in Punjab, an official said. Over 250,000 people have been affected.Heavy monsoon rain started lashing the country on July 15.Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has announced a $5 million aid package for Chitral, and visited flood relief camps in Punjab province on Friday.