Heavy monsoon rains and flash floods have claimed the lives of at least 12 people and injured 18 others across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa over the past 24 hours, authorities said on Tuesday.

Widespread flooding and power outages also disrupted normal life in several districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, according to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA).

Authorities said most of the deaths were caused by roofs and walls collapsing or being swept away by flash floods.

The deceased included five men, five children and two women, while the injured comprised 10 men, four women and four children, the PDMA said.

The authority said three houses were completely destroyed and 15 suffered partial damage due to the rains.

The worst-hit districts include Peshawar, Nowshera, Khyber, Mardan, Buner, Bajaur, Lower Chitral, Upper Dir, Abbottabad, Mansehra, Torghar, Kurram and North Waziristan.

In Nowshera, rescue teams evacuated 18 people who were trapped in flash floods and shifted them to safer locations.

Despite the widespread rainfall, the PDMA said water levels and flows in all major rivers and streams across the province remained within normal limits.

The authority warned that intermittent rain is likely to continue until July 23 and urged residents to avoid unnecessary travel, stay away from flood-prone areas and follow official advisories.

District administrations have already been placed on high alert to meet any eventuality.

Meanwhile, continuous rainfall caused widespread electricity outages across the Peshawar Electric Supply Company (PESCO) region, disrupting power supply from 148 feeders.

According to a PESCO spokesperson, heavy rain over the past 12 hours caused feeders to trip in Peshawar, Khyber, Mardan, Swabi and Swat.

The worst-affected area was the Peshawar Circle, where 71 feeders were disrupted, followed by Khyber with 33, Mardan with 22, Swabi with 12 and Swat with 10 feeders.

Power supply was affected in several parts of Peshawar, including the city centre, Saddar, Gulberg, University Town, Warsak and Shabqadar.

PESCO said restoration efforts were hampered by the ongoing rainfall, but repair crews worked overnight to restore electricity to 42 feeders, while work continues to restore power to the remaining affected areas.