(BSS/AFP) - Flash flooding in Pakistan`s mountainous northwest has killed 11 people, including several children, at the start of the monsoon season, disaster management officials said.

"In the past 24 hours, flash floods and landslides have claimed the lives of 11 people -- including four children and three women -- while six others have been injured," according to a report issued late Friday by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provincial disaster management agency.

The report said 10 of those killed were in the Swat Valley, where, according to local media, a flash flood swept away families on a riverbank.

Flooding in the province has also damaged 56 houses, six of which were destroyed, the disaster agency report said.

The national meteorological service warned that the risk of heavy rain and possible flash floods will remain high until at least Tuesday.

Last month, at least 24 people were killed in severe storms in the South Asian nation, which experienced several extreme weather events in the spring, including strong hailstorms.

Pakistan is one of the world`s most vulnerable countries to the effects of climate change, and its 240 million inhabitants are facing extreme weather events with increasing frequency.