Rescuers recover bodies after monsoon rain kills hundreds in north-west Pakistan

Australia Broadcast Center

20 hours ago

More than 300 people are dead in north-west Pakistan after two days of intense rain and floods, local officials said on Saturday.
Warning: This story contains graphic details and imagery.
Rescuers struggled to retrieve bodies from muddy debris on Saturday local time after flash floods triggered by heavy monsoon rains across the region.
One resident told AFP it felt like "the end of the world" as the ground shook with the force of the water.
The majority of deaths were reported in the mountainous Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the National Disaster Management Authority said.
Most were killed in flash floods and collapsing houses, while at least 137 others were injured.
Rescue efforts and clearing of blocked roads were ongoing with the release of emergency funds, the disaster authority said, adding that the heavy rains would continue until August 21.
Bilal Ahmed Faizi, spokesman for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's rescue agency said there are "significant challenges in delivering aid" and recovering bodies.
Cloud bursts, flash floods, lightning strikes, landslides, and the collapse of buildings caused the most deadly spell of this year's monsoon season.
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.
In Buner district, where there have been dozens of deaths and injuries, resident Azizullah said he "heard a loud noise as if the mountain was sliding".
Another villager in Buner said residents kept on searching through the rubble overnight and "the entire area is reeling from profound trauma".
Others cleared heavy rocks with their hands and with shovels.
"People are still lying under the debris. Those who were swept away are being searched for downstream," said resident Abdul Khan.
Not only Pakistan but also parts of neighbouring India and Nepal have been hit hard by heavy rains, flooding, and other rain-related incidents over the past week.
Buner district, a three-and-a-half-hour drive north from Pakistan's capital, Islamabad, in normal times, was among the country's worst-hit, with 184 killed and widespread damage to infrastructure, crops, and orchards, local officials said.
A cloud burst, fallen trees, and flash floods swept away people and possessions.
People, including women and children, remained trapped by floodwaters in some areas of Buner, with 93 bodies recovered.
In another area, Shangla, the collapse of the roof of a building due to the downpour caused many of the 34 deaths, said the provincial Chief Secretary, Shahab Ali Shah.
He said that local officials had been dispatched to the flooded areas to supervise relief operations and assess the damage.
Medical camps, he said, were being established for the flood victims, along with arrangements for families who lost their homes to be provided with cooked meals. Shah said that heavy machinery would be deployed to clear and restore roads.
Ishaq Dar, the deputy prime minister and foreign minister, said that civilian and military teams were carrying out rescue and relief operations, while the prime minister had chaired an emergency meeting.
"Our hearts go out to the families who have lost loved ones, to those who are injured, and many whose homes and livelihoods have been swept away," Mr Dar said in a statement on social media.
On Friday, a rescue helicopter crashed due to bad weather, killing its five crew members.
Reuters/AFP