At least 21 people have died in monsoon rain-related incidents in Pakistan, authorities said, pushing the nationwide death toll over the last week above 400 as floods and landslides continue to devastate large parts of the country.

Severe monsoonal flooding has caused widespread devastation across Pakistan, destroying homes and sweeping away entire villages.

A deluge of rain triggered floods and landslides, sweeping people away and flooding and destroying homes, officials said.

Heavier than usual rains and sudden cloudbursts during this monsoon season kill more than 300 people in recent days.

Pakistan ordered businesses, schools and public offices in Karachi to shut on Wednesday after torrential monsoon rain left at least 10 people dead in the densely populated port city, with more heavy downpours predicted.

Due to heavy rains, thousands of villagers living in the low-lying areas of Pakistans Punjab were forced to leave their homes as levels of water rose in the Indus river, washing away all of the protective guide bunds and dykes constructed to support the Layyah-Taunsa Bridge,

Pakistan has been grappling with widespread torrential rains in almost all parts of the country that have wreaked havoc and left over 700 people dead and hundreds injured. The deluge crippled the already dilapidated infrastructure, damaging houses, roads, and commercial centres.

The death toll in the flood-ravaged province of Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) has surged to 365, as torrential rains and flash floods continue to batter the region, with new casualties and destruction reported across several districts.