At least 150 still missing in Pakistan after deadly flash floods
Thousands of rescuers were battling rain and knee-deep mud, digging homes out from under massive boulders in a desperate search for survivors.
"In Buner, at least 150 people are still missing. They could be trapped under the rubble of their homes or swept away by floodwaters," Asfandyar Khattak, head of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Provincial Disaster Management Authority, told AFP.
"Separately, in Shangla district, dozens of people are also reported missing," he added.
The ongoing rain was making rescue operations extremely difficult, Khattak said.
"There is no electricity or mobile signal in Buner, as power lines and mobile towers were damaged in the flash floods," he added.
Pakistan floods wash away homes and kill over 300
01:26
In hardest-hit Buner district, at least 208 people were killed and "10 to 12 entire villages" partially buried, a provincial rescue spokesman told AFP.
"The operation to rescue people trapped under debris is ongoing," said Bilal Ahmed Faizi of the province's rescue agency.
He said around 2,000 rescue workers were engaged in recovering bodies from the debris and carrying out relief operations across nine districts, where rain was still hampering efforts.
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France 24
a day ago
- France 24
At least 150 still missing in Pakistan after deadly flash floods
More than 150 people are missing in northwest Pakistan, the head of the provincial disaster authority said Sunday, after flash floods that have killed at least 344 people in the country. Thousands of rescuers were battling rain and knee-deep mud, digging homes out from under massive boulders in a desperate search for survivors. "In Buner, at least 150 people are still missing. They could be trapped under the rubble of their homes or swept away by floodwaters," Asfandyar Khattak, head of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Provincial Disaster Management Authority, told AFP. "Separately, in Shangla district, dozens of people are also reported missing," he added. The ongoing rain was making rescue operations extremely difficult, Khattak said. "There is no electricity or mobile signal in Buner, as power lines and mobile towers were damaged in the flash floods," he added. Pakistan floods wash away homes and kill over 300 01:26 In hardest-hit Buner district, at least 208 people were killed and "10 to 12 entire villages" partially buried, a provincial rescue spokesman told AFP. "The operation to rescue people trapped under debris is ongoing," said Bilal Ahmed Faizi of the province's rescue agency. He said around 2,000 rescue workers were engaged in recovering bodies from the debris and carrying out relief operations across nine districts, where rain was still hampering efforts.
France 24
a day ago
- France 24
Hopes for survivors wane as landslides, flooding bury Pakistan villages
Most of the deaths were reported in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where monsoon rains that are only expected to intensify in the days ahead drove flooding and landslides that collapsed houses. In hardest-hit Bunar district, at least 208 people were killed and "10 to 12 entire villages" partially buried, a provincial rescue spokesman told AFP. "The operation to rescue people trapped under debris is ongoing," said Bilal Ahmed Faizi of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's rescue agency. "There is still concern that dozens of people may be trapped under the rubble… the chances of those buried under the debris surviving are very slim". He said that around 2,000 rescue workers were engaged in recovering bodies from the debris and carrying out relief operations across nine districts, where rain was still hampering efforts. AFP journalists in Buner saw half-buried vehicles and belongings lying strewn in the sludge, with mud covering houses and shops. Flooded roads hampered the movement of rescue vehicles, as a few villagers worked to cut fallen trees to clear the way after the water receded. "Our belongings are scattered, ruined and are in bad shape," local shopkeeper Noor Muhammad told AFP as he used a shovel to remove mud. "The shops have been destroyed along with everything else. Even the little money people had has been washed away," he added. The provincial government has declared the severely affected mountainous districts of Buner, Bajaur, Swat, Shangla, Mansehra and Battagram as disaster-hit areas. "This disaster has spread everywhere and surrounded us from all sides. We were trapped in our homes and could not get out, another Buner resident, Syed Wahab Bacha, told AFP. "Our entire poor community has been affected. The shops in the lower bazaar have been destroyed. This road was our only path, and it too has been washed away," he added. Mass funerals On Saturday, hundreds of locals gathered for mass funerals, where bodies wrapped in blood-stained white shawls were laid out on the village ground. Fallen trees and straw debris were scattered across nearby fields, while residents shoveled mud brought in by the floods out of their homes. Pakistan's meteorological department has forecast that "torrential rains" with monsoon activity were "likely to intensify" from Sunday onwards. The department warned of more flash floods and landslides in the country's northwest and urged people to avoid exposure to vulnerable areas. The monsoon season brings South Asia about three-quarters of its annual rainfall, vital for agriculture and food security, but also brings destruction. Landslides and flash floods are common during the season, which usually begins in June and eases by the end of September. The national disaster agency's Syed Muhammad Tayyab Shah told AFP that this year's monsoon season began earlier than usual and was expected to end later. The torrential rains that have pounded Pakistan since the start of the summer monsoon, described as "unusual" by authorities, have killed at least 650 people, with more than 910 injured. Pakistan is one of the world's most vulnerable countries to the effects of climate change and is 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 on Saturday that residents had spent the night searching through the rubble of their former homes. "The entire area is reeling from profound trauma," said 32-year-old schoolteacher Saifullah Khan.
France 24
2 days ago
- France 24
Pakistan rescuers recover bodies after monsoon rains kill 320
The majority of deaths, 307, were reported in mountainous Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the Provincial Disaster Management Authority said. Most were killed in flash floods and collapsing houses, with the dead including 15 women and 13 children. At least 23 others were injured. The provincial rescue agency told AFP that around 2,000 rescue workers were engaged in recovering bodies from the debris 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," Bilal Ahmed Faizi, spokesman for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's rescue agency, told AFP. "Due to road closures in most areas, rescue workers are travelling on foot to conduct operations in remote regions," he added. "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 has issued a heavy rain alert for Pakistan's northwest for the next few hours, urging people to take "precautionary measures". Nine more people were killed in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, while five died in the northern Gilgit-Baltistan region, the national disaster authority said. Another five people, including two pilots, were killed when a local government helicopter crashed due to bad weather during a relief mission on Friday. 'Doomsday' monsoon 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. "The next 15 days... the intensity of the monsoon will further exacerbate," he said. One resident likened the disaster to "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," Azizullah, a resident of Buner district, where there have been dozens of deaths and injuries, told AFP. "I thought it was doomsday," he said. "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 abutting 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. The torrential rains that have pounded Pakistan since the start of the summer monsoon, described as "unusual" by authorities, have killed more than 600 people. In July, Punjab, home to nearly half of Pakistan's 255 million people, recorded 73 percent more rainfall than the previous year and more deaths than in the entire previous monsoon. Pakistan is one of the world's most vulnerable countries to the effects of climate change, and its population is 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 locals kept on searching through the rubble throughout the night. "The entire area is reeling from profound trauma," 32-year-old local schoolteacher Saifullah Khan told AFP. "We still have no clear idea who in this small village is alive and who is dead," he added.
