Lightning and heavy rains have killed at least 36 people, mostly farmers, across Pakistan in the past three days, officials said on April 15, as authorities in the country's southwest declared a state of emergency. Most deaths occurred when lightning struck farmers harvesting wheat and rains caused houses to collapse in eastern Punjab Province, said Arfan Kathia, a spokesman for the provincial disaster management authority. He said more rains were expected this week. Rains, which also lashed the capital, Islamabad, killed seven people in southwestern Balochistan Province over the weekend, and eight died in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province bordering Afghanistan.
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