At least 35 die due to surprise snowfall, heavy rains in Pakistan

Islamabad: At least 35 people died while dozens more were injured as freezing rain and unexpected snowfall hit remote areas of Pakistan over the weekend.

Twenty-two children were among the fatalities, many of whom were crushed in landslides that buried their homes, disaster management authorities said.

The extreme weather hit Pakistan's northern and western regions, clogging roads and damaging hundreds of houses, BBC news reported.

Experts were surprised by the snow as Pakistan is typically humid in March.

The heavy rains completely destroyed at least 150 houses and partially damaged 500 others, mostly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the south-western Balochistan province, local authorities said.