The death toll from more than five weeks of downpours and flooding in Pakistan has reached 304, authorities said on Saturday.
Since mid-June, monsoon rains have flooded rivers and damaged roads and bridges, as well as disrupting traffic. Nearly 9,000 homes were destroyed or damaged.
Especially hard hit was the volatile southwestern province of Baluchistan, where 99 people were killed in rain-related incidents. Another 70 people were killed in the southern province of Sindh.
There were also 61 deaths in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which borders Afghanistan , and 60 in the eastern province of Punjab. At least 284 people have been injured.
Every year, much of Pakistan is hit by monsoons and the government’s response has been heavily criticized. The season runs from July to September. The rains are essential for the irrigation of the crops and for the water reserves in the country.