“A suicide bomber rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into a military convoy,” said a local government official in North Waziristan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, who asked not to be named because he was not authorised to speak to the media.He said 16 soldiers were killed, raising the previous death toll of 13.
“The explosion also caused the roofs of two houses to collapse, injuring six children,” a police officer posted in the district told AFP.
Around 290 people, mostly security officials, have been killed in attacks since the start of the year by armed groups fighting the government in both Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, according to an AFP tally.
Pakistan Flash Floods Kills 24
Eight of the fatalities were children, who died when walls and roofs collapsed during heavy rains.
The latest toll came after officials in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa said 11 people were killed in flash floods and landslides over 24 hours.
Those victims included “four children and three women — while six others have been injured”, the province’s disaster management agency said late Friday.
The agency said 10 of those killed were in the northwestern Swat Valley where, according to local media, a flash flood swept away families on a riverbank.
Flooding in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has also damaged 56 houses, six of which were destroyed, the disaster agency said.
The national meteorological service warned that the risk of heavy rain and possible flash floods will remain high until at least Tuesday.
Last month, at least 32 people were killed in severe storms in the South Asian nation, which experienced several extreme weather events in the spring, including strong hailstorms.
Pakistan is one of the world’s most vulnerable countries to the effects of climate change, and its 240 million inhabitants are facing extreme weather events with increasing frequency.
© Agence France-Presse
