Deadly Pakistan cloudburst leaves survivors digging through rubble
The disaster struck Dalori village in the middle of the night, sending rocks and water crashing down mountainsides.
At least 15 houses were destroyed, with nine confirmed dead and around 20 still trapped under debris.
Rescuers worked by mobile phone light, using hammers, shovels and bare hands to clear blocked pathways in the electricity-free area.
'A huge bang came from the top of the mountain, and then dark smoke billowed into the sky,' said local labourer Lal Khan.
The cloudburst occurred during heavy monsoon rains that have already killed over 350 people in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
Torrential rains since Thursday have caused widespread flooding and landslides across northern Pakistan.
Authorities warn of potential fresh flash floods in coming days as the monsoon continues.
Khan described seeing his neighbour's hand protruding from rubble before rescuers recovered her body and those of her four children.
Villager Gul Hazir compared the disaster to an apocalyptic movie, recalling how rocks smashed houses before floodwaters arrived.
Local official Usman Khan noted many houses were built in stream beds, worsening the destruction.
Rescue efforts are hampered by narrow alleys that prevent heavy machinery from accessing the worst-hit areas.
Student Saqib Ghani lost his father and was seen desperately digging through concrete with bare hands before being restrained.
The village's single access road was destroyed at multiple points, isolating the community further.
Excavators worked to clear debris blocking drainage channels as water continued flowing through the devastated settlement.
Funerals have already been held for five victims, with women mourning in homes still without electricity.
Unattended cattle wandered through debris-filled alleys as residents struggled to comprehend their losses.
One grieving woman vowed to leave the village forever as she followed a coffin through the streets.
Residents had been collecting aid for neighbouring flood victims before disaster struck their own community.
'We didn't know we would be needing help ourselves,' said villager Gul Hazir. - AFP
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Showered by rocks and rain
Race against time: Rescue workers and residents searching for victims in the debris of collapsed houses after a cloudburst in Dalori village in the mountainous northern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. — AFP 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 on Monday, destroying at least 15 houses, damaging several others and killing nine people. Around 20 villagers were 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, said. '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 last week have caused flooding and landslides that have swept away entire villages, with around 200 people still missing. 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. 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 said. Local administration official Usman Khan said 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. 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. — AFP
