Flash Floods in Pakistan Kill at Least 344, Hundreds Still Missing
Since Thursday, heavy rains across the country have caused widespread flooding and landslides, destroying villages and trapping residents under debris.
The worst-hit area is Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where 317 deaths were reported. In Buner district alone, officials say at least 208 people have died and 10 to 12 entire villages were partially buried. Over 150 people are still missing there.
'They could be trapped under the rubble of their homes or swept away by floodwaters,' said Asfandyar Khattak, head of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Provincial Disaster Management Authority. He also noted that dozens are missing in Shangla district and that power and mobile networks in Buner have been damaged.
About 2,000 rescue workers are involved across nine districts, but ongoing rain is slowing relief efforts. Bilal Ahmad Faizi, a spokesperson for the provincial rescue agency, said the operation is continuing, but added, 'The chances of those buried under the debris surviving are very slim.'
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Daily Tribune
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Flash Floods in Pakistan Kill at Least 344, Hundreds Still Missing
Pakistani rescuers are digging through homes buried under massive boulders as they search for survivors after deadly flash floods killed at least 344 people, with more than 150 still missing. Since Thursday, heavy rains across the country have caused widespread flooding and landslides, destroying villages and trapping residents under debris. The worst-hit area is Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where 317 deaths were reported. In Buner district alone, officials say at least 208 people have died and 10 to 12 entire villages were partially buried. Over 150 people are still missing there. 'They could be trapped under the rubble of their homes or swept away by floodwaters,' said Asfandyar Khattak, head of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Provincial Disaster Management Authority. He also noted that dozens are missing in Shangla district and that power and mobile networks in Buner have been damaged. About 2,000 rescue workers are involved across nine districts, but ongoing rain is slowing relief efforts. Bilal Ahmad Faizi, a spokesperson for the provincial rescue agency, said the operation is continuing, but added, 'The chances of those buried under the debris surviving are very slim.'
Daily Tribune
a day ago
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Pakistan Rescuers Recover Bodies After Monsoon Rains Kill 340
AFP | Rescuers were struggling to retrieve bodies from debris after flash floods triggered by heavy monsoon rains across northern Pakistan killed at least 344 people in the past 48 hours, authorities said on Saturday. The majority of deaths, 328, were reported in mountainous Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the Provincial Disaster Management Authority said. Most were killed in flash floods and collapsing houses, while at least 120 others were injured. One resident told AFP it felt like "the end of the world" was coming, as the ground shook with the force of the water. The provincial rescue agency said around 2,000 rescue workers were engaged in recovering bodies and carrying out relief operations in nine affected districts, where rain was still hampering efforts. "Heavy rainfall, landslides in several areas, and washed-out roads are causing significant challenges in delivering aid, particularly in transporting heavy machinery and ambulances," said Bilal Ahmed Faizi, spokesman for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's rescue agency. "Due to road closures in most areas, rescue workers are travelling on foot to conduct operations in remote regions. They are trying to evacuate survivors, but very few people are relocating due to the deaths of their relatives or loved ones being trapped in the debris." The provincial government has declared the severely affected mountainous districts of Buner, Bajaur, Swat, Shangla, Mansehra, and Battagram as disaster-hit areas. The meteorological department issued a heavy rain alert for Pakistan's northwest, urging people to take "precautionary measures." Eleven more people were killed in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, while five died in northern Gilgit-Baltistan, the national disaster authority said. Another five, including two pilots, died when a local government helicopter crashed due to bad weather during a relief mission on Friday. 'Reeling from Profound Trauma' The monsoon season brings South Asia about three-quarters of its annual rainfall, vital for agriculture and food security, but it also brings destruction. Landslides and flash floods are common during the season, which usually begins in June and eases by the end of September. Syed Muhammad Tayyab Shah, a representative of the national disaster agency, told AFP that this year's monsoon season began earlier than usual and was expected to end later. In Buner district, where dozens of deaths and injuries were reported, resident Azizullah said he "thought it was doomsday." "I heard a loud noise as if the mountain was sliding. I rushed outside and saw the entire area shaking, like it was the end of the world. The ground was trembling due to the force of the water, and it felt like death was staring me in the face." In Bajaur, a tribal district bordering Afghanistan, a crowd gathered around an excavator digging through a mud-soaked hill. On Friday, funeral prayers began in a paddock nearby, with people grieving in front of several bodies covered by blankets. In the picturesque district of Swat, an AFP photographer saw roads submerged in muddy water, electricity poles grounded, and vehicles half-buried in mud. The torrential rains that have pounded Pakistan since the start of the summer monsoon, described as "unusual" by authorities, have killed more than 650 people, with over 880 injured. In July, Punjab, home to nearly half of Pakistan's 255 million people, recorded 73% more rainfall than the previous year, and more deaths than in the entire previous monsoon. Pakistan remains one of the world's most vulnerable countries to the effects of climate change, contending with extreme weather events with increasing frequency. Monsoon floods in 2022 submerged a third of the country and killed around 1,700 people. Another villager in Buner told AFP that residents kept searching through the rubble overnight.
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Missing Pakistani Man Found on Glacier After 28 Years
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