Storms Kill Dozens at Pakistan
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PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) – Lightning and heavy rain caused landslides that destroyed homes in two villages in northwestern Pakistan on Friday, killing more than 70 people, officials said.
Rescuers transported bodies and looked for survivors on Saturday.
At least 25 homes collapsed Friday when lightening followed by rains hit two remote villages in Dirbala district, about 150 miles north of Peshawar, local police official Khan Walizada said.
Mr. Walaizada said he could confirm more than 70 deaths, while dozens of others were still missing.
Earlier, Sultan Ghani, the region’s deputy police chief, said officers and doctors were sent to the villages, which are located in mountains near a fast-flowing stream.
“It seems the lightning triggered landslides, and boulders struck homes,” he said.
Some of the injured were taken to a hospital, Ghani said. He said rescuers faced difficulties transporting the dead and injured because the villages were so remote.
Storms in Pakistan are often deadly, as rain and snow collapse the roofs of houses and swollen mountain streams wash away settlements.
