Death toll from Pakistan flash floods, rains rises to 26

Torrential rains lashed several cities in Pakistan on Thursday, triggering flash floods and leaving at least 26 dead across the country, many swept away by the waters or killed when their roofs collapsed before dawn, authorities said.

The provincial Disaster Management Authority said 14 people, including children, were killed in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan.

Flash floods submerged villages near the southwestern town of Lasbella, in Baluchistan province, killing three people there and affecting 200 families. Imran Zarqoon, a spokesman for the provincial disaster authority said emergency workers were trying to rescue people from flooded parts of Lasbella.

At least nine were killed in central Pakistan in three incidents of roofs collapsing amid the rains, four of them in the city of Multan, according to police and rescue services.

Every year, many cities and towns in Pakistan struggle to cope with the annual monsoon deluge, drawing criticism about poor planning.