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Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Search continues for 150 people missing in Pakistan after devastating floods
Rescuers were continuing to search for more than 150 people still missing in north-western Pakistan after days of torrential rain caused flash floods that have killed more than 270 people. A senior politician has blamed local residents for the high death toll, saying people should have built their homes elsewhere. The death toll in the mountainous district of Buner in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province reached 277 on Monday after rescuers recovered three more bodies, emergency services spokesman Mohammad Suhail said. The search operations have been extended to remote areas to find residents swept away by floods that hit the province on Friday, according to Mr Suhail. The army has deployed engineers and heavy machinery to clear the rubble. Villagers have accused officials of not telling them to evacuate ahead of flooding and landslides. There was no warning broadcast from mosque loudspeakers, a traditional method for alerting emergencies in remote areas. However, the government insists that while an early warning system was in place, the sudden downpour was so intense that the deluge struck before residents could be informed. Provincial chief minister Ali Amin Gandapur said on Sunday that many of the deaths could have been avoided had residents not built homes along waterways and riverbanks. He added that the government would encourage displaced families to relocate to safer areas, where they would be assisted in rebuilding their homes. Pakistan has seen higher-than-normal monsoon rains since June 26, killing at least 645 people across the country, with 400 deaths in the north west. The National Disaster Management Authority issued an alert for further flooding after new rains began on Sunday in many parts of the country. Torrential rains triggered a flash flood that struck the Darori village, in the north-western Swabi district, on Monday, killing 15 people, government official Awais Babar said. He said rescuers evacuated nearly 100 people, mostly women and children, who had taken refuge on the roofs of their homes. Disaster management officials said the floods inundated streets in other districts in the north west and in Pakistan-administered Kashmir. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Islamabad chaired a high-level meeting on Monday to review relief efforts in flood-hit areas of north-western Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as well as northern Gilgit-Baltistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir. At the meeting, officials estimated flood-related damages to public and private property at more than 126 million rupees (£1.6 million), according to a government statement. The UN humanitarian agency said it has mobilised groups in hard-hit areas, where damaged roads and communication lines have cut off communities. Relief agencies are providing food, water and other aid while preparing for longer-term recovery efforts. Flooding has also hit India-administered Kashmir, where at least 67 people were killed and dozens remain missing after flash floods swept through the region during an annual Hindu pilgrimage. UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres expressed deep sorrow on Sunday over the loss of life in Pakistan and India, while Pope Leo XIV offered condolences after praying the Angelus in Castel Gandolfo. Pakistan remains highly vulnerable to climate-related disasters. In 2022, catastrophic floods linked to climate change killed nearly 1,700 people and left hundreds of thousands homeless.
Associated Press
3 days ago
- Associated Press
Rescuers look for 150 people still missing in Pakistan's northwest following devastating floods
PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — Rescuers are looking for more than 150 people who were still missing on Monday in northwestern Pakistan, where scores died after the area was struck by a cloudburst. A senior politician blamed locals for the high death toll, saying people should have built their homes elsewhere. Search operations have been extended to remote areas to find residents swept away by floods that hit the mountainous district of Buner in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Friday, said emergency services spokesman Mohammad Suhail. The army has deployed engineers and heavy machinery to clear the rubble. The death toll in Buner reached 277 on Monday after rescuers recovered three bodies, Suhail said. Villagers have accused officials of not telling them to evacuate ahead of flooding and landslides. There was no warning broadcast from mosque loudspeakers, a traditional method for alerting emergencies in remote areas. However, the government insists that while an early warning system was in place, the sudden downpour was so intense that the deluge struck before residents could be informed. Provincial chief minister Ali Amin Gandapur said Sunday that many of the deaths could have been avoided had residents not built homes along waterways and riverbanks. He added that the government would encourage displaced families to relocate to safer areas, where they would be assisted in rebuilding their homes. Pakistan has seen higher-than-normal monsoon rains since June 26, killing at least 645 people across the country, with 400 deaths in the northwest. The National Disaster Management Authority issued an alert for further flooding after new rains began Sunday in many parts of the country. The U.N. humanitarian agency said it has mobilized groups in hard-hit areas, where damaged roads and communication lines have cut off communities. Relief agencies are providing food, water and other aid while preparing for longer-term recovery efforts. Flooding has also hit India-administered Kashmir, where at least 67 people were killed and dozens remain missing after flash floods swept through the region during an annual Hindu pilgrimage. U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres expressed deep sorrow on Sunday over the loss of life in Pakistan and India, while Pope Leo XIV offered condolences after praying the Angelus in Castel Gandolfo Pakistan remains highly vulnerable to climate-related disasters. In 2022, catastrophic floods linked to climate change killed nearly 1,700 people and left hundreds of thousands homeless.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
Fires keep burning in western Spain as army is deployed
As Spain enters its third week of heatwave alerts, firefighters continue to battle blazes in the northwest and west of the country, with army units deployed to help contain the blazes. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said he had held a "coordination meeting" Saturday, as France and Italy sent water bombers to an air base near Salamanca to help with the firefighting efforts. "The government continues to work to fight the fire with all the means at its disposal," he said on X. The most serious forest fires were in the northwest and west of the country, in the regions of Castile and Leon, Galicia, Asturias and Extremadura. Around 10 roads remain closed across the country, as well as the train line between Madrid and Galicia. Emergency services in Galicia sent alert messages urging residents in dozens of towns to take precautions. "If you receive this alert: remain calm and read the text carefully," the alerts said. "As the fires spread, avoid all unnecessary travel and stay indoors. If you are outside and have nowhere to stay, move away from the affected areas." Around 3,500 military from a special emergency unit were deployed around the country, with some political leaders calling for more. Alfonso Fernandez Manueco, the centre-right president of Castile and Leon, asked Sanchez's government "for an exceptional response: we need more army personnel at the disposal of the regions". Extremadura has also made an official request for reinforcements. In Spain, firefighting is in principle the responsibility of the regions with the central government only intervening in the event of a major disaster. Spain is expected to remain on heat alert until Monday, the extreme temperatures having significantly increased the risk of wildfires. Smoke from wildfires in Spain and Portugal has reached the UK, the country's Met Office reported. Since the beginning of the year, more than 157,000 hectares have been reduced to ashes in Spain, according to the real-time map of the European Forest Fire Information System (Effis). mig/gv/jj
