Nearly 90 people have been killed in torrential monsoon rains that wreaked havoc across Pakistan as flash floods swept through villages, prompting authorities to call in army troops for flood relief duties.

The downpour, being termed as one of the heaviest, started on Wednesday and is still continuing in parts of Punjab and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The authorities have issued an alert and army troops have been called in for flood relief duties and to evacuate people trapped in areas inundated after two-days of heavy downpour mostly in Rawalpindi, Sialkot and Gujranwala districts of Punjab province.

"At least 50 people including women and children died and 178 injured during the last 48 hours in different parts of Punjab province in rain-related incidents," Punjab Emergency Service spokesman Jam Sajjad said. A Pakistan army soldier also drowned in Sialkot during a rescue operation.