Several dead in major Pakistan flash floods

April 16 (UPI) -- Thunderstorms have led to a number of deaths in Pakistan, where heavy rain has flooded towns and streets, officials said Tuesday.

The death toll has been reported as high as 14, and the majority of the victims died in the Balochistan province in southwest Pakistan, provincial official Muhammad Younus told Al Jazeera.

The Alambar River went over its banks and flooded the Kuli Manzai district, destroying several houses in the area. The military deployed rescue helicopters to help reach people who were stranded by the rapidly rising water. In the Harnai district, the bridge connecting the district to the highway has been closed while landslides have shut down other streets.

Three people died in Karachi, the largest city in the country, from high winds that ripped off roofs, knocked down power poles and other infrastructure. Officials said the hospital had at least 66 patients being treated for injuries from the storm.

"The whole city was in turmoil with the gusty winds, and the city didn't look like it could take it," said Seemin Jamali, a senior hospital official at the city's main hospital. "Streetlights fell over even inside the hospital complex. The electric poles were swaying and trees were falling."

The storm is expected to continue ravaging the country until at least Wednesday.