Over 200 die in Pakistan floods

ISLAMABAD - At least 230 people have died while hundreds of others have gone missing in floods triggered by heavy rains in the past three days in Pakistan’s northwestern region bordering Afghanistan.

Thousands of people have been rendered homeless in Khyber-Pakhtoonkhwa province, while many houses, bridges and roads have been completely washed away by floodwater due to incessant rains, Geo News reported.

The official residence of the chief minister of Gilgit-Baltistan has been inundated, forcing him to take refuge in a local hotel. The assembly building is also flooded, officials said.

Heavy showers in Swat and Shangla districts have also led to massive destruction. At least 90 people were killed in Shangla district.

A total of 780 houses, 34 school buildings and 34 bridges have been washed away and thousands of acres of cultivable land have been inundated by floods in Upper Dir. A few areas in the region are no longer connected with other parts of the country due to the destruction of bridges.