Heavy storms kill 16 in northwest Pakistan

  Heavy storms and rains on Friday killed at least 16 people, including nine children, and injured over 80 others in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, officials said, AFP reports.

The torrential monsoon rains damaged properties in the provincial capital Peshawar and its surrounding areas causing roofs and walls of houses to cave in -- in some cases killing those inside.

"The roofs of many houses collapsed after heavy storms and rains hit the City and suburbs. Up to 16 people including nine children, three women and four men have been killed in these accidents," Zahir-ul-Islam, a senior administration official in Peshawar, told AFP.

"At least 82 people including 25 children have been injured also. Most of them have head injuries," he said.

A senior police official in Peshawar city, Ijaz Khan also confirmed the death toll and numbers wounded.

Pakistan, a South Asian country of over 180 million people is often hit by floods, earthquakes and torrential rains but the state agencies have poor disaster management systems to facilitate swift rescue operations.