Record rains, flash floods kill 89 in Pakistan

Heavy monsoon rains have collapsed and washed away dozens of houses

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- Flash flooding from heavy rains has killed at least 89 people in northern Pakistan and injured 60 more, officials said.

Heavy rains have fallen across much of the region since Sunday night, with record rainfalls in the country's capital Islamabad. More rain has been forecast Monday night.

Sixty-two people were killed and 54 injured when a flash flood washed away a small hillside village of Manshera district in the North West Frontier Province, officials in the region said.

They said 25 people were killed in the nearby Buner district in the Swat valley.

In the capital Islamabad, two people were killed and six injured by collapsing walls and electrocution during record rainfall of more than 620 mm (24 inches).

The deluge had brought the city to a standstill but the flooding receded later, allowing traffic to resume.

Houses washed away

COUNTRY PROFILE At a glance: Pakistan Provided by CountryWatch.com    CNN.com Asia More news from our Asia edition

An official at the deputy commissioner's office in Manshera in the North West Frontier Province told Reuters by telephone that about 25 houses in the village of Dadar were washed away by the flash flood early in the morning.

"We are still trying to recover people from the debris and those who have been swept away in the nearby [Siran] river," the official said. State-run Radio Pakistan said at least nine people were missing and rescue agencies were trying to find them.

The village, in an area prone to landslides, is 95 km (60 miles) north of Islamabad, near the small town of Shinkiari on the Karakoram Highway.

Police in Manshera quoted witnesses as saying the landslide was triggered by a bolt of lightning which hit the ground, causing flood water to pour out.

Record rain

Weather officials said the capital Islamabad received 621 mm of rain in 10 hours up to 4 p.m. (1100 GMT), when it eased to a drizzle but more rain was expected overnight.

The previous record was in August 1997, when 320 mm (13 inches) of rain fell in 24 hours.

Weather officials said they had warned civil and military rescue agencies to be on alert for flash floods, particularly in the adjoining city of Rawalpindi, through which flood waters from Islamabad must pass.

Reuters contributed to this report.