At least seven people, including five children, were killed as their houses collapsed due to torrential rains and hailstorms in northwestern Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province over the past 24 hours, authorities said. Heavy rain and hailstorms battered large parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for the second consecutive day on Saturday.

Five people, including three children, were buried in the rubble after their house collapsed due to rain in Bajaur tribal district. In Shangla district, two children died when the roof of their room collapsed in the torrential rains, the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) said. The rains also wreaked havoc on the crops in the Khyber tribal district, Peshawar, Nowshera, and Charsadda districts. The district administration started immediate relief measures in the rain-hit areas to provide succour to the affected families. Earlier this month, at least 37 people were killed in rain-related incidents across Pakistan, authorities said.

The rains swept across Pakistan and led to the collapse of houses and triggered landslides that blocked roads, particularly in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) province, they said. Pakistan witnessed a delay in winter rains, which started in February instead of November. Monsoons as well as winter rains cause damage in Pakistan every year.

 In 2022, unprecedented rainfall and flooding devastated many parts of Pakistan, killing more than 1,800 people, affecting around 33 million and displacing nearly eight million people. The disaster also caused billions of dollars in damage.