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Peshawar, Pakistan (AFP) July 29, 2010 At least 113 people have died and thousands more have been made homeless as flash floods triggered by torrential rains hit northwest Pakistan and Pakistani Kashmir, officials said Thursday. The army has been summoned to tackle the problems caused by the flood waters, with Swat and Malakand districts the hardest hit. "I can confirm the death of 91 people in the last two days in different areas," senior minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province Bashir Ahmad Bilour, told AFP. More than 60 people were killed in Malakand alone while Swat itself was cut off as heavy rains swept away several bridges and disrupted communications. "We are facing severe difficulties in the rescue work as rain hampered helicopter flights," Bilour said. The floods came as the country mourned the death of 152 people in a plane crash. The crash near Islamabad on Tuesday was also caused by bad weather, officials said as investigations continued. Bilour said more than 30,000 people had been displaced in Peshawar alone." Provincial planning minister Rahim Dad put the toll at 96. "Latest report is that flash floods have claimed 96 lives," he told AFP. Most of the dead were killed after houses collapsed on them or drowned in overflowing streams, he said, adding that the waters washed away homes and shops in several areas, he said. The military said in a statement that it had sent boats to rescue stranded people and army engineers were attempting to open roads and divert the waters from key routes. The floods have destroyed thousands of hectares (acres) of cultivated land, officials said. Meteorological office chief Qamar Zaman predicted more rains over the next 24 hours as the monsoon continues, but with less intensity. At least 22 people were killed and more than 30 injured Thursday as dozens of houses collapsed due to heavy rains in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, state premier Sardar Atique Ahmed told a late night news conference. "The situation is very serious, it could worsen," as almost all rivers were flowing above the normal level, he said. Residents said announcements were made over mosque loudspeakers warning people that floods may hit the state capital Muzaffarabad as water levels of the River Neelum were abnormally high. "We fear the floods this time will be worst than we saw in 1991" when around 150 people were killed in the region, the premier said. The Himalayan region is divided between India and Pakistan and claimed in full by both.
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