
Fresh monsoon rains kill over 20 in Pakistan as death toll nears 750 this season
Torrential downpours across Pakistan over the last week have caused flooding and landslides that swept away entire villages, leaving hundreds of people dead and dozens missing.
The National Disaster Management Authority said Wednesday that 10 more people had died in Karachi, the financial capital in the south, due to urban flooding that caused house collapses and electrocution.
Eleven others died in the northern region of Gilgit-Baltistan, it added.
More than 400 people have been killed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a mountainous northwest province bordering Afghanistan, since last Thursday.
Landslides and flash floods are common during the monsoon season, which typically begins in June and lasts until the end of September.
In total, the authority added, close to 750 Pakistanis have died since the season started.
Pakistan is among the world's most vulnerable countries to the effects of climate change and is increasingly facing extreme weather events.
Monsoon floods submerged one-third of Pakistan in 2022, resulting in approximately 1,700 deaths. — AFP
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Malay Mail
8 hours ago
- Malay Mail
Fresh monsoon rains kill over 20 in Pakistan as death toll nears 750 this season
ISLAMABAD, Aug 20 — More than 20 people have died in a fresh spell of monsoon rain in Pakistan, the country's disaster management agency said today. Torrential downpours across Pakistan over the last week have caused flooding and landslides that swept away entire villages, leaving hundreds of people dead and dozens missing. The National Disaster Management Authority said Wednesday that 10 more people had died in Karachi, the financial capital in the south, due to urban flooding that caused house collapses and electrocution. Eleven others died in the northern region of Gilgit-Baltistan, it added. More than 400 people have been killed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a mountainous northwest province bordering Afghanistan, since last Thursday. Landslides and flash floods are common during the monsoon season, which typically begins in June and lasts until the end of September. In total, the authority added, close to 750 Pakistanis have died since the season started. Pakistan is among the world's most vulnerable countries to the effects of climate change and is increasingly facing extreme weather events. Monsoon floods submerged one-third of Pakistan in 2022, resulting in approximately 1,700 deaths. — AFP


Malay Mail
a day ago
- Malay Mail
‘Like an apocalyptic movie': Survivors claw through rubble after deadly Pakistan cloudburst
BAR DALORI (Pakistan), Aug 19 — In the middle of the night, by the glow of their mobile phones, rescuers and villagers dug through the concrete remains of flattened houses after massive rocks crashed down on a remote Pakistani village following a cloudburst. Using hammers, shovels, and in many cases their bare hands to clear the rubble and open blocked pathways, they searched through the debris in darkness, with no electricity in the area. In just minutes, a torrent of water and rocks swept down on the village of Dalori yesterday, destroying at least 15 houses, damaging several others and killing nine people. Around 20 villagers are still trapped under the debris. 'A huge bang came from the top of the mountain, and then dark smoke billowed into the sky,' Lal Khan, a 46-year-old local labourer, told AFP. 'A massive surge of water gushed down with the sliding mountain,' he added. The cloudburst above Dalori came a few days into heavy monsoon rains that have already killed more than 350 people across mountainous Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, along the northwest border with Afghanistan. Torrential rains in northern Pakistan since Thursday have caused flooding and landslides that have swept away entire villages, with around 200 people still missing. Authorities have warned of fresh flash floods in the coming days. Khan recalled seeing the hand of his neighbour sticking out of the rubble, where rescuers later retrieved her body along with those of her four children. 'We are absolutely helpless. We don't have the means to tackle this calamity that nature has sent upon us,' Khan added. 'Like an apocalyptic movie' Fellow resident Gul Hazir said not one but several cloudbursts from two sides of the village struck the remote valley. 'It was like an apocalyptic movie. I still can't believe what I saw,' Hazir said. 'It was not the water that struck first, but a massive amount of rocks and stones that smashed into the houses,' Hazir told AFP. Local administration official Usman Khan told AFP at the site that many of the houses had been built in the middle of the stream bed, which worsened the scale of destruction. 'There was no way for the water to recede after the cloudburst struck at least 11 separate locations in the area,' he said. 'It is immensely challenging to carry out operations here, as heavy machinery cannot pass through the narrow alleys.' Saqib Ghani, a student who lost his father and was searching for other relatives, tried to claw through the concrete with his bare hands before rescuers pulled him away and villagers gave him water. The single road leading to the village was demolished at several points, while gravel was scattered across the settlement. Despite the challenging conditions, excavators were working at several sites to remove debris that had clogged the drainage channels and blocked the flow of water. Dalori has already held funerals for five victims, while women mourned in darkened homes with no electricity since the disaster. In the village's narrow alleys, unattended cattle wandered freely amid the devastation. 'I will not live here anymore,' said a grieving woman, draped in a large shawl, as she followed a coffin being carried through the street. Over the past few days, the villagers had been collecting money to help people in neighbouring flood-hit areas, until they too were overwhelmed by disaster and lost everything. 'We didn't know we would be needing help ourselves,' Hazir added. — AFP


The Star
3 days ago
- The Star
Pakistan defends flood response after over 270 people killed in north-western district
BUNER, Pakistan: Rescuers recovered dozens more bodies from the rubble of collapsed homes in a north-western district of Pakistan, bringing the death toll to at least 274, as authorities defended their response to the flooding and said they did not need any foreign help at this point. Heavy rains and flooding also killed dozens of people in neighbouring Kashmir. Mohammad Suhail, a spokesman for Pakistan's emergency service, said 54 bodies were found in Buner, a mountainous area in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where torrential rains and cloudbursts triggered massive flooding on Friday (Aug 15). Suhail said villagers remain missing, and search efforts are focused on areas where homes were flattened by torrents of water that swept down from the mountains, carrying boulders that smashed into houses like explosions. Authorities have warned of more deluges and possible landslides between now and Tuesday, urging local administrations to remain on alert. Higher-than-normal monsoon rains have lashed the country since June 26 and killed more than 600. In India-administered Kashmir, located across Pakistan's northeastern border, rains triggered more flash floods in two villages in the Kathua district, killing seven people, officials said Sunday. Rescuers in Chositi village are still looking for dozens of missing people after the area was hit by flash floods last week during an annual Hindu pilgrimage. At least 60 people were killed, and some 150 injured. Over 300 others were rescued. Residents in Buner have accused officials of failing to warn them to evacuate after torrential rain and cloudbursts triggered deadly flooding and landslides. There was no warning broadcast from mosque loudspeakers, a traditional method in remote areas. The government said that while an early warning system was in place, the sudden downpour in Buner was so intense that the deluge struck before residents could be alerted. Lt. Gen. Inam Haider, chairman of the National Disaster Management Authority, told a hastily convened news conference in Islamabad that Pakistan was experiencing shifting weather patterns because of climate change. Since the monsoon season began in June, Pakistan has already received 50 per cent more rainfall than in the same period last year, he added. He warned that more intense weather could follow, with heavy rains forecast to continue this month. Some countries have reached out to Islamabad offering help, but Haider said Pakistan has sufficient resources and does not require foreign assistance at this time. Asfandyar Khan Khattak, director-general of the Provincial Disaster Management Authority, said there was "no forecasting system anywhere in the world' that could predict the exact time and location of a cloudburst, a sudden and intense downpour. Mohammad Iqbal, a schoolteacher in Pir Baba village, said the lack of a timely warning system caused casualties and forced many to flee their homes at the last moment. "Survivors escaped with nothing,' he said. "If people had been informed earlier, lives could have been saved and residents could have moved to safer places.' Idrees Mahsud, a disaster management official, said Pakistan's early warning system used satellite imagery and meteorological data to send alerts to local authorities. These were shared through the media and community leaders. He said monsoon rains that once only swelled rivers now also triggered urban flooding. An emergency services spokesman in Buner, Mohammad Sohail, said more than half the damaged roads in the district had reopened by Sunday, allowing vehicles and heavy machinery to reach cut-off villages. Crews were clearing piles of rocks and mud dumped by the floods. They were still using heavy machinery to remove the rubble of collapsed homes after families reported that some of their relatives were missing. In one of the deadliest incidents, 24 people from one family died in the village of Qadar Nagar when floodwaters swept through their home on the eve of a wedding. The head of the family, Umar Khan, said he survived the floods because he was out of the house at the time. Four of his relatives have yet to be found. Pakistan is highly vulnerable to climate-induced disasters. In 2022, a record-breaking monsoon killed nearly 1,700 people and destroyed millions of homes. The country also suffers regular flash floods and landslides during the monsoon season, which runs from June to September, particularly in the rugged north-west, where villages are often perched on steep slopes and riverbanks. Experts say climate change is intensifying the frequency and severity of such extreme weather events in South Asia. Khalid Khan, a weather expert, said Pakistan produces less than one per cent of planet-warming emissions but faces heatwaves, heavy rains, glacial outburst floods and now cloudbursts, underscoring how climate change is devastating communities within hours. - AP