Islamabad, Mar 7 (IANS): A fresh spell of heavy rain has wreaked havoc in Pakistan, killing at least 17 people, while injuring dozens others during the last 24 hours, rescue officials said on Saturday.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province was the worst hit by the torrential rain, where at least 12 people lost their lives in separate incidents, Jawad Khalil, an emergency official told Xinhua news agency.

Owing to widespread rain, at least 10 houses and a school building were damaged, and serious damage to standing crops has been reported in the province, he said.

At least five people, including two children, were killed in different parts of Punjab and Balochistan provinces.

Provincial disaster management authorities of KP and Punjab provinces have also issued an alert in a wake of harsh weather and possible flooding, advising all concerned authorities to take precautionary measures during the forecast period to avoid loss of life and damage to property.

The continuous rain and recent cold wave also paralyzed normal life in the country as locals are facing problems of low pressure of natural gas and electricity disruption due to technical problems and tripping of several grid stations.

In some areas, several electric poles fell due to thunderstorm and rain.

Heavy rain and snow also affected the normal flow of traffic at national highways. Roads became slippery that caused several accidents.