By Aamir Latif

KARACHI ,(AA): Flash floods in Pakistan have killed dozens of people and cut off villages in the country’s remote northwest, officials said Sunday.

District Mayor Maghfirat Shah told reporters 31 deaths had been confirmed from the remote Arsun village, in the Chitral district near the Afghan border.

Shah said that hundreds of residents had been left marooned after landslides blocked connecting roads and scores of homes had been washed away.

An army spokesperson said military helicopters have joined the rescue efforts, which had been impeded by the remoteness of the effected areas.

Chitral is one of Pakistan’s most popular spots for domestic tourism but has repeatedly suffered from extreme weather in recent months.

[Photo: Floods in Swat Valley in Pakistan in Aug 2010. Photographer:Monica K. Smith. U.S. Army/Public Domain]