43 killed in NW Pakistan flash flood

ISLAMABAD - At least 43 people including eight security personnel were killed, over 40 injured and scores of others went missing in flash flood triggered by heavy rains in Pakistan's northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) province on Sunday, local media and officials said.

The provincial National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said that Chitral district of the province was the worst hit area where 31 people were killed in the flash flood.

"The hill torrent washed away a mosque, a Pakistan army check post and nearby houses (35 full house damage, 47 partial house damage)," the NDMA said in a statement.

The torrential rain and burst hit Ursoon village in the southwest of Chitral on Saturday night, which resulted in flash flood in the stream located near Pak-Afghan border, the statement added.

The Express News reported that eight security personnel were killed and four others seriously injured when flash flood swept away their check post in the Chitral district.

It added that 32 people were also injured in separate incidents of roof collapse in the district.

Separately, in Haripur district of KPK, four people were killed and four others injured when roof of their work site collapsed near Tarbela Dam area, Latifur Rehman, spokesperson for the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) said.

Rescue teams from Pakistani army, paramilitary forces and PDMA have launched a rescue and relief operation there.

The Army's Inter-Services Public Relations said in a statement that the troops have provided food, tents and medical aid to affected people in the Ursoon village.

An army helicopter has made five trips from Chitral to Ursoon and evacuated the injured, said the statement.

A search operation for missing persons is in progress.

The affected people are being provided with food and non-food items by the teams of army and local administration.

The KPK government has announced financial assistance for the relatives of those killed and injured in the flash flood in Chitral.