PESHAWAR: Flash floods triggered by monsoon rains swept away a bus carrying a wedding party on Saturday in Khyber Agency's Landi Kotal area, killing 26 people, an official said.

The spokesman for the local disaster management authority, Latifur Rehman, said the incident took place in the Landi Kotal tribal region bordering Afghanistan.

The dead included 18 children, six women and two men.

The van was swept away by the gushing water when it was crossing a stream in Sra Shaga area near Bazar Zakhakhel of Landi Kotal.

Local administration official Iqbal Khan said several passengers were also injured in the incident. He said it was unclear whether the bride and groom were also traveling in the same bus.

Rescue teams retrieved the bodies and shifted them to the Agency Headquarter Hospital in Landi Kotal.

National Disaster Management Authority said in statement Saturday that as many as 55 people have been killed across the country since the monsoon rains started in July.

Flash floods commonly occur during South Asia's summer monsoon season, which ends in September.