Heavy rains leave at least 51 dead in Pakistan

The death toll in Pakistan due to the heaviest rains and snowfall in more than a decade rose to as many as 51 today.

The death toll in Pakistan due to the heaviest rains and snowfall in more than a decade rose to as many as 51 today.

At least 20 people were killed when the Shadikor dam burst near the remote coastal town of Pasni in southwestern Baluchistan province.

Officials said rescuers were still searching inundated villages and the army had been called in.

At least five villages had been totally submerged, raising fears the death toll could rise, officials said.

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Troops backed by helicopters were being sent to Pasni to rescue people left marooned when the dam burst, said a military spokesman.

Pakistan has seen its heaviest rains and snowfalls for 16 years, and officials said flash floods swept away several bridges on the main coastal highway linking Baluchistan to the southern port city of Karachi.

At least 31 other people have been killed across Pakistan in the past week. Most of those who died were killed in avalanches, by flash floods or by collapsing roofs. Scores have been injured.

Remote northern areas, where the Himalaya, Karakoram and Hindu Kush mountain ranges meet, have been cut off, with roads buried under several feet of snow.