At least 20 people in Pakistan are dead and dozens more injured after torrential rainstorms collapsed several homes, officials said Saturday.

Heavy rains have lashed stretches of the country near the Afghan border since Thursday.

Fourteen children and three women were killed in “rain-related incidents” in northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, local relief official Taimur Ali said.

The National Disaster Management Authority confirmed those deaths, adding that three more people had died in southwest Balochistan province.

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In the worst single incident, five children were killed when the roof of their home collapsed in northern Dargai town.

Rain also damaged another 51 houses and snowfall blocked several roads in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, officials said.

More harsh weather is expected in the coming days.

Many poorly built homes across the country — particularly in rural areas — are at risk of collapse during the annual spring rains.

Torrential downpours, avalanches, flooding, and harsh winter weather killed more than 130 people across Pakistan and Afghanistan in January.

In another news, a five-storey hotel being used for coronavirus quarantine collapsed in the southeast Chinese port city of Quanzhou on Saturday trapping about 70 people, state media said.

A video stream posted by the government-backed Beijing News site showed rescue workers in orange overalls clambering over the rubble of the Quanzhou Xinjia Hotel and carrying people towards ambulances.

[AFP]

Vanguard News Nigeria.