Heavy rain, strong winds and large hailstones devastate Peshawar, Pakistan

A severe storm tore through Peshawar, Charsadda and their surrounding villages on Sunday, April 26, 2015 uprooting trees, collapsing buildings and killing at least 44 people, officials said Monday. Over 200 people were injured.

Director of the provincial meteorological department, Mushtaq Ali Shah, described the storm as a "mini cyclone with wind speeds of 110 km/h (68.3 mph)".

Rain, hailstorm and thunderstorm caused several roofs to collapse while fallen trees, rubble from buildings and mobile phone towers blocked several main roads. Flood water from torrential rainfall had reached one meter deep in some parts of the city, AFP reported.

According to provincial minister Zia Afridi, the majority of tragic incidents took place in the outskirts of Peshawar.

Since Pakistan typically experiences such rains during its monsoon season in June and July, local disaster management official, Lutfur Rehman, said the storm was very unusual and it took people by surprise.

Talking exclusively to Dunya News, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Information Minister Mushtaq Ghani said that the metrological department did not issue any warning about the rains, thunderstorm and the hailstorm. 

Featured image credit: SMedia