Officials: Heavy rains leave 17 dead over 3 days in Pakistan

QUETTA, Pakistan (AP) — Three days of monsoon rains left at least 17 people dead and damaged dozens of homes across southwest Pakistan, officials said Wednesday.

Streets and homes were flooded in various parts of Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan province, the provincial disaster management agency said. Rains have inundated areas across Pakistan, disrupting normal life.

Sherry Rehman, the minister for climate change, told a news conference in the capital of Islamabad that 77 people were killed in rain-related incidents in Pakistan since June.

She said 39 people died in rain-related incidents in Baluchistan during that period.

Naseer Nasar, a spokesman at the Baluchistan disaster management agency, told The Associated Press that 50 people were injured in rain-related incidents in the province since June. He said rescuers were transporting people to safer places away from floods and rain-hit areas.

Every year, many cities in Pakistan struggle to cope with the annual monsoon deluge, drawing criticism about poor government planning. The season runs from July through September.