'Doomsday' floods and landslides kill more than 300 in Pakistan and Indian Kashmir with mass funerals held
Most deaths are being recorded by disaster authorities in Pakistan's mountainous Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
More than 70 homes have been damaged, while an helicopter crashed during rescue operations, killing its five crew members, leading the province's government to declare a day of mourning.
Mass funerals were held in the Buner district, one of the worst-hit areas, where around 180 people were reported dead by officials.
One survivor named Azizullah told news agency Agence France-Presse the floods arrived like "doomsday".
He said: "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.
"The ground was trembling due to the force of the water, and it felt like death was staring me in the face."
In Indian Kashmir, 60 people are reportedly dead and 150 injured.
Ali Amin Gadapur, chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, said the Mil Mi-17 experinced severe turbulence while flying to the Bajaur region bordering Afghanistan.
A crowd of people were seen praying in a paddock nearby, with some grieving in front of bodies covered by blankets.
Monsoon season between June and September delivers up to three-quarters of South Asia's annual rainfall, according to meteorologists.
Scientists say that global warming has made events such as monsoons more frequent and extreme in nature.
A study released this week by World Weather Attribution found rainfall in Pakistan between June 24 to July 23 was nearly 15 per cent heavier because of climate change.
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Los Angeles Times
6 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
More than 150 people are still missing after devastating flooding in northwest Pakistan
PESHAWAR, Pakistan — Anguished Pakistanis searched remote areas for bodies swept away by weekend flash floods as the death toll reached 277 on Monday, while one official replied to the lack of evacuation warnings by saying people should have built homes elsewhere. A changing climate has made residents of northern Pakistan's river-carved mountainous areas more vulnerable to sudden, heavy rains. More than 150 people were still missing in the district of Buner in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province after Friday's flash floods. Villagers have said there had been no warning broadcast from mosque loudspeakers, a traditional method for alerting emergencies in remote areas. The government has said the sudden downpour was so intense that the deluge struck before residents could be informed. Emergency services spokesman Mohammad Suhail said three bodies were found on Monday. The army has deployed engineers and heavy machinery to clear the rubble. On Sunday, provincial chief minister Ali Amin Gandapur said many deaths could have been avoided if residents had not built homes along waterways. He said the government would encourage displaced families to relocate to safer areas, where they would be assisted in rebuilding homes. Residents said they were not living near streams, yet the flood swept through their homes. In Buner's Malak Pur village, Ikram Ullah, aged 55, said people's ancestral homes were destroyed even though they were not near the stream, which emerged in the area because of the flood. He said large boulders rolled down from mountains with the flood. In flood-hit Pir Baba village, Shaukat Ali, 57, a shopkeeper whose grocery store was swept away, said his business was not near a river or stream but had stood for years alongside hundreds of other shops in the bazar. 'We feel hurt when someone says we suffered because of living along the waterways,' Ali told The Associated Press. Pakistan has seen higher-than-normal monsoon rains since June 26 that have killed at least 645 people across the country, with 400 deaths in the northwest. The National Disaster Management Authority issued an alert for further flooding after new rains began Sunday in many parts of the country. In a statement, the military said the Pakistan Air Force played a key role in flood relief operations by airlifting 48 tons of NGO-provided relief goods from the port of Karachi to Peshawar, the regional capital. It said the air force established an air bridge to ensure the swift delivery of supplies. On Monday, torrential rains triggered a flash flood that struck Darori village in northwestern Swabi district, killing 15 people, government official Awais Babar said. He said rescuers evacuated nearly 100 people, mostly women and children, who had taken refuge on the roofs of homes. Disaster management officials said the floods inundated streets in other districts in the northwest and in Pakistan-administered Kashmir. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif chaired a high-level meeting Monday to review relief efforts in flood-hit areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as well as northern Gilgit-Baltistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir. At the meeting, officials estimated flood-related damages to public and private property at more than 126 million rupees ($450,000), according to a government statement. The U.N. humanitarian agency said it had mobilized groups in hard-hit areas where damaged roads and communication lines have cut off communities. Relief agencies were providing food, water and other aid. Flooding has also hit India-administered Kashmir, where at least 67 people were killed and dozens remain missing after flash floods swept through the region during an annual Hindu pilgrimage last week. In 2022, catastrophic floods linked to climate change killed nearly 1,700 people in Pakistan and left hundreds of thousands homeless. Khan writes for the Associated Press. AP writers Ishfaq Hussain in Muzaffarabad, Pakistan, Rasool Dawar in Peshawar, Pakistan, and Munir Ahmed in Islamabad contributed to this story.


The Hill
9 hours ago
- The Hill
Over 150 people are still missing after devastating flooding in northwest Pakistan
PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — Anguished Pakistanis searched remote areas for bodies swept away by weekend flash floods as the death toll reached 277 on Monday, while one official replied to the lack of evacuation warnings by saying people should have built homes elsewhere. A changing climate has made residents of northern Pakistan's river-carved mountainous areas more vulnerable to sudden, heavy rains. More than 150 people were still missing in the district of Buner in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province after Friday's flash floods. Villagers have said there had been no warning broadcast from mosque loudspeakers, a traditional method for alerting emergencies in remote areas. The government has said the sudden downpour was so intense that the deluge struck before residents could be informed. Emergency services spokesman Mohammad Suhail said three bodies were found on Monday. The army has deployed engineers and heavy machinery to clear the rubble. On Sunday, provincial chief minister Ali Amin Gandapur said many deaths could have been avoided if residents had not built homes along waterways. He said the government would encourage displaced families to relocate to safer areas, where they would be assisted in rebuilding homes. Pakistan has seen higher-than-normal monsoon rains since June 26 that have killed at least 645 people across the country, with 400 deaths in the northwest. The National Disaster Management Authority issued an alert for further flooding after new rains began Sunday in many parts of the country. On Monday, torrential rains triggered a flash flood that struck Darori village in northwestern Swabi district, killing 15 people, government official Awais Babar said. He said rescuers evacuated nearly 100 people, mostly women and children, who had taken refuge on the roofs of homes. Disaster management officials said the floods inundated streets in other districts in the northwest and in Pakistan-administered Kashmir. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif chaired a high-level meeting Monday to review relief efforts in flood-hit areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as well as northern Gilgit-Baltistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir. At the meeting, officials estimated flood-related damages to public and private property at more than 126 million rupees ($450,000), according to a government statement. The U.N. humanitarian agency said it had mobilized groups in hard-hit areas where damaged roads and communication lines have cut off communities. Relief agencies were providing food, water and other aid. Flooding has also hit India-administered Kashmir, where at least 67 people were killed and dozens remain missing after flash floods swept through the region during an annual Hindu pilgrimage last week. In 2022, catastrophic floods linked to climate change killed nearly 1,700 people in Pakistan and left hundreds of thousands homeless. ___
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Yahoo
Search continues for 150 people missing in Pakistan after devastating floods
Rescuers were continuing to search for more than 150 people still missing in north-western Pakistan after days of torrential rain caused flash floods that have killed more than 270 people. A senior politician has blamed local residents for the high death toll, saying people should have built their homes elsewhere. The death toll in the mountainous district of Buner in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province reached 277 on Monday after rescuers recovered three more bodies, emergency services spokesman Mohammad Suhail said. The search operations have been extended to remote areas to find residents swept away by floods that hit the province on Friday, according to Mr Suhail. The army has deployed engineers and heavy machinery to clear the rubble. Villagers have accused officials of not telling them to evacuate ahead of flooding and landslides. There was no warning broadcast from mosque loudspeakers, a traditional method for alerting emergencies in remote areas. However, the government insists that while an early warning system was in place, the sudden downpour was so intense that the deluge struck before residents could be informed. Provincial chief minister Ali Amin Gandapur said on Sunday that many of the deaths could have been avoided had residents not built homes along waterways and riverbanks. He added that the government would encourage displaced families to relocate to safer areas, where they would be assisted in rebuilding their homes. Pakistan has seen higher-than-normal monsoon rains since June 26, killing at least 645 people across the country, with 400 deaths in the north west. The National Disaster Management Authority issued an alert for further flooding after new rains began on Sunday in many parts of the country. Torrential rains triggered a flash flood that struck the Darori village, in the north-western Swabi district, on Monday, killing 15 people, government official Awais Babar said. He said rescuers evacuated nearly 100 people, mostly women and children, who had taken refuge on the roofs of their homes. Disaster management officials said the floods inundated streets in other districts in the north west and in Pakistan-administered Kashmir. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Islamabad chaired a high-level meeting on Monday to review relief efforts in flood-hit areas of north-western Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as well as northern Gilgit-Baltistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir. At the meeting, officials estimated flood-related damages to public and private property at more than 126 million rupees (£1.6 million), according to a government statement. The UN humanitarian agency said it has mobilised groups in hard-hit areas, where damaged roads and communication lines have cut off communities. Relief agencies are providing food, water and other aid while preparing for longer-term recovery efforts. Flooding has also hit India-administered Kashmir, where at least 67 people were killed and dozens remain missing after flash floods swept through the region during an annual Hindu pilgrimage. UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres expressed deep sorrow on Sunday over the loss of life in Pakistan and India, while Pope Leo XIV offered condolences after praying the Angelus in Castel Gandolfo. Pakistan remains highly vulnerable to climate-related disasters. In 2022, catastrophic floods linked to climate change killed nearly 1,700 people and left hundreds of thousands homeless.