Death toll from rains, floods in Pakistan's northwest tops 300
Raging hill torrents swept away dozens of people in KP's Swat, Buner, Bajaur, Torghar, Mansehra, Shangla and Battagram districts on Friday, leaving behind a trail of destruction over the last 48 hours.
Rescuers backed by boats and helicopters worked for hours to save stranded residents and tourists trapped by flash flooding and landslides as ambulances transported more 100 bodies to hospitals.
A helicopter carrying relief supplies to the northwestern Bajaur region crashed due to bad weather, killing all five people on board, including two pilots, a government statement said.
'So far, 307 people have died and 23 have been injured in various accidents due to rains and flash floods during the last 48 hours,' the KP PDMA said on Saturday, in a report estimating losses.
'The deceased include 279 men, 15 women and 13 children, while the injured include 17 men, 4 women and 2 children.'
The floods and subsequent landslides forced the evacuation of thousands of people.
A total of 68 houses were damaged due to rains and flash floods, according to the authority. Of them, 61 houses were partially damaged and seven were destroyed.
The PDMA said Bajaur and Battagram were the most affected districts, adding that the provincial government had released Rs500 million ($1.7 million) for relief works in affected areas.
'The current series of heavy rains is likely to continue intermittently till August 21,' it said. 'The PDMA has issued directives to intensify relief activities in all the affected districts and provide immediate relief to affectees.'
Pakistan, which contributes less than 1 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, is among the countries most vulnerable to climate change. The country's National Disaster Management Authority on Friday put the nationwide monsoon death toll at 507 since late June, which is likely to exceed once the KP PDMA figures are taken into account.
The situation has evoked memories of 2022 when catastrophic monsoon rains and glacial melt submerged a third of the country, killing more than 1,700 people and causing over $30 billion in damages.
Scientists say rising temperatures are making South Asia's monsoon rains more erratic and intense, increasing the risk of flash floods and landslides in mountainous regions like Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan, where at least 20 people have died in similar incidents and several are missing.
A study released this week by World Weather Attribution, a network of international scientists, found rainfall in Pakistan from June 24 to July 23 was 10% to 15% heavier because of global warming.
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Death toll from rains, floods in Pakistan's northwest tops 300
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