The flood swept away 32 houses in Baidra village, nearly 200-km north-west of Islamabad on Saturday, leaving at least 500 people homeless, a senior local government official, Syed Mohammad Javed, told Reuters.
"Fifteen villagers are confirmed dead and a large number of the population has been affected," he said, adding that a relief operation had been launched in the area and affected people were being shifted to safer places. After a spell of sweltering heat that killed more than 50 people in the last two weeks, some parts of the country, especially those in the east and north, are experiencing pre-monsoon rains. Chief Meteorologist Qamar-uz-Zaman Chaudhry said more rains and thunderstorm were expected in the country in the next 36 hours.
The monsoon starts from the end of June and lasts until early September in the country. Chaudhry predicts a normal monsoon this year in most parts of the country.