Flash floods kill more than 360 in Pakistan, India
At least 307 people have died and 23 have been injured in Pakistan since Friday, according to the latest updates from the country's National Disaster Management Authority.
Meanwhile, about 60 people were killed and more than 60 are missing in India's northernmost region of Jammu and Kashmir, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah told reporters.
Local police and other agencies are conducting search and rescue operations in the Kishtwar region of India, about 200 kilometres from Srinagar, the capital of Jammu and Kashmir.
Pakistani authorities have warned that landslides are likely to increase further in the country's northern regions in the event of more rain.
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It advised tourists to avoid travelling to the area for the next five or six days.
More than 2000 people have been rescued from the floods so far, according to posts by the provincial government of Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region, which has been the hardest-hit.
Hundreds of rescue workers are still searching for survivors in Buner district, one of several areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where torrential rains and cloudbursts caused massive flooding, emergency services spokesman Mohammad Suhail said.
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ABC News
7 minutes ago
- ABC News
Pakistan defends flood response after more than 300 killed
Rescuers have recovered dozens more bodies from the rubble of collapsed homes in a north-western district of Pakistan, as authorities defended their response to the devastating flooding, saying they did not need foreign help at this point. The death toll from the rains across the north of Pakistan has risen to at least 337 people, with most people killed in flash floods, according to the National Disaster Management Authority. 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. Mr Suhail said villagers remained missing and search efforts were 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 north-eastern border, rains triggered more flash floods in two villages in the Kathua district, killing seven people, officials said on 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 were injured. More than 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. Lieutenant General 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 had 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 had sufficient resources and did 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. 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 produced less than 1 per cent of planet-warming emissions but faced heatwaves, heavy rains, glacial outburst floods and now cloudbursts, underscoring how climate change was devastating communities within hours. AP/Reuters
Sydney Morning Herald
a day ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Flash floods kill more than 360 in Pakistan, India
Flash floods triggered by heavy rains have killed more than 360 people in Pakistan and India, and led to severe devastation across the South Asian region. At least 307 people have died and 23 have been injured in Pakistan since Friday, according to the latest updates from the country's National Disaster Management Authority. Meanwhile, about 60 people were killed and more than 60 are missing in India's northernmost region of Jammu and Kashmir, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah told reporters. Local police and other agencies are conducting search and rescue operations in the Kishtwar region of India, about 200 kilometres from Srinagar, the capital of Jammu and Kashmir. Pakistani authorities have warned that landslides are likely to increase further in the country's northern regions in the event of more rain. Loading It advised tourists to avoid travelling to the area for the next five or six days. More than 2000 people have been rescued from the floods so far, according to posts by the provincial government of Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region, which has been the hardest-hit. Hundreds of rescue workers are still searching for survivors in Buner district, one of several areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where torrential rains and cloudbursts caused massive flooding, emergency services spokesman Mohammad Suhail said.
The Age
a day ago
- The Age
Flash floods kill more than 360 in Pakistan, India
Flash floods triggered by heavy rains have killed more than 360 people in Pakistan and India, and led to severe devastation across the South Asian region. At least 307 people have died and 23 have been injured in Pakistan since Friday, according to the latest updates from the country's National Disaster Management Authority. Meanwhile, about 60 people were killed and more than 60 are missing in India's northernmost region of Jammu and Kashmir, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah told reporters. Local police and other agencies are conducting search and rescue operations in the Kishtwar region of India, about 200 kilometres from Srinagar, the capital of Jammu and Kashmir. Pakistani authorities have warned that landslides are likely to increase further in the country's northern regions in the event of more rain. Loading It advised tourists to avoid travelling to the area for the next five or six days. More than 2000 people have been rescued from the floods so far, according to posts by the provincial government of Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region, which has been the hardest-hit. Hundreds of rescue workers are still searching for survivors in Buner district, one of several areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where torrential rains and cloudbursts caused massive flooding, emergency services spokesman Mohammad Suhail said.
