Death toll from heavy rain, flooding in Pakistan tops 300
Local media outlets say that widespread flooding and mudslides have occurred mainly in northern regions with fatalities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and other provinces surpassing 300.
Video footage shows flood water from a swollen river flowing onto a road that is crowded with people and vehicles. Houses and schools have collapsed, and many residents have been forced to evacuate.
A helicopter engaged in a relief operation reportedly crashed due to bad weather, killing five crewmembers aboard.
Heavy rain has also hit neighboring India.
Reuters news agency says more than 60 people have died and at least 200 others remain unaccounted for in a mountain village in India-administered Jammu and Kashmir following flooding caused by heavy downpours.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yomiuri Shimbun
6 hours ago
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Spain Battles 20 Major Wildfires Amid Scorching Heat, Deploys More Troops
VILLARDEVÓS, Aug 17 (Reuters) – Scorching heat hampered efforts to contain 20 major wildfires across Spain on Sunday, prompting the government to deploy an additional 500 troops from the military emergency unit to support firefighting operations. In the northwestern region of Galicia, several fires have converged to form a large blaze, forcing the closure of highways and rail services to the region. Southern Europe is experiencing one of its worst wildfire seasons in two decades, with Spain among the hardest-hit countries. In the past week alone, fires there have claimed three lives and burned more than 115,000 hectares, while neighbouring Portugal also battles widespread blazes. Temperatures are expected to reach up to 45 degrees Celsius (113 Fahrenheit) in some areas on Sunday, Spanish national weather agency AEMET said. 'There are still some challenging days ahead and, unfortunately, the weather is not on our side,' Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez told a news conference in Ourense, one of the most affected areas. He announced an increase in military reinforcements, bringing the total number of troops deployed across Spain to 1,900. Virginia Barcones, director general of emergency services, told Spanish public TV temperatures were expected to drop from Tuesday, but for now the weather conditions were 'very adverse'. 'Today there are extremely high temperatures with an extreme risk of fires, which complicates the firefighting efforts,' Barcones said. VILLAGERS RESORT TO BUCKETS In the village of Villardevos in Galicia, desperate neighbours have organised to fight the flames on their own with water buckets as the area was left without electricity to power water pumps. 'The fireplanes come in from all sides, but they don't come here,' Basilio Rodriguez, a resident, told Reuters on Saturday. Added Lorea Pascual, another local resident: 'It's insurmountable, it couldn't be worse'. Interior ministry data show 27 people have been arrested and 92 were under investigation for suspected arson since June. In neighbouring Portugal, wildfires have burnt some 155,000 hectares of vegetation so far this year, according to provisional data from the ICNF forestry protection institute – three times the average for this period between 2006 to 2024. About half of that area burned just in the past three days. Thousands of firefighters were battling eight large blazes in central and northern Portugal, the largest of them near Piodao, a scenic, mountainous area popular with tourists. Another blaze in Trancoso, further north, has now been raging for eight days. A smaller fire a few miles east claimed a local resident's life on Friday – the first this season.
Japan Today
12 hours ago
- Japan Today
Spain battles 20 major wildfires amid scorching heat, deploys more troops
A dog walks past a cemetery as smoke rises from a wildfire in As Fermosas, in the Ourense province, Galicia, Spain, August 16, 2025. REUTERS/Nacho Doce By Guillermo Martinez and Ana Cantero Scorching heat hampered efforts to contain 20 major wildfires across Spain on Sunday, prompting the government to deploy an additional 500 troops from the military emergency unit to support firefighting operations. In the northwestern region of Galicia, several fires have converged to form a large blaze, forcing the closure of highways and rail services to the region. Southern Europe is experiencing one of its worst wildfire seasons in two decades, with Spain among the hardest-hit countries. In the past week alone, fires there have claimed three lives and burned more than 115,000 hectares, while neighboring Portugal also battles widespread blazes. Temperatures are expected to reach up to 45 degrees Celsius (113 Fahrenheit) in some areas on Sunday, Spanish national weather agency AEMET said. "There are still some challenging days ahead and, unfortunately, the weather is not on our side," Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez told a news conference in Ourense, one of the most affected areas. He announced an increase in military reinforcements, bringing the total number of troops deployed across Spain to 1,900. Virginia Barcones, director general of emergency services, told Spanish public TV temperatures were expected to drop from Tuesday, but for now the weather conditions were "very adverse". "Today there are extremely high temperatures with an extreme risk of fires, which complicates the firefighting efforts," Barcones said. VILLAGERS RESORT TO BUCKETS In the village of Villardevos in Galicia, desperate neighbors have organized to fight the flames on their own with water buckets as the area was left without electricity to power water pumps. "The fireplanes come in from all sides, but they don't come here," Basilio Rodriguez, a resident, told Reuters on Saturday. Added Lorea Pascual, another local resident: "It's insurmountable, it couldn't be worse". Interior ministry data show 27 people have been arrested and 92 were under investigation for suspected arson since June. In neighboring Portugal, wildfires have burnt some 155,000 hectares of vegetation so far this year, according to provisional data from the ICNF forestry protection institute - three times the average for this period between 2006 to 2024. About half of that area burned just in the past three days. Thousands of firefighters were battling eight large blazes in central and northern Portugal, the largest of them near Piodao, a scenic, mountainous area popular with tourists. Another blaze in Trancoso, further north, has now been raging for eight days. A smaller fire a few miles east claimed a local resident's life on Friday - the first this season. © Thomson Reuters 2025.
Japan Today
2 days ago
- Japan Today
Pakistan rescuers recover bodies after monsoon rains kill over 340
Flash floods have killed more than 340 people in northern Pakistan By Lehaz ALI Rescuers struggled to retrieve bodies from muddy debris on Saturday after flash floods triggered by heavy monsoon rains across northern Pakistan killed at least 344 people in the past 48 hours, authorities said. The majority of deaths, 324, were reported in 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. One resident told AFP it felt like "the end of the world" as the ground shook with the force of the water. The provincial rescue agency told AFP that around 2,000 rescue workers were engaged in recovering bodies from the debris and carrying out relief operations in nine districts, where rain was still hampering efforts. "Heavy rainfall, landslides in several areas, and washed-out roads are causing significant challenges in delivering aid, particularly in transporting heavy machinery and ambulances," Bilal Ahmed Faizi, spokesman for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's rescue agency, told AFP. He said road closures meant rescue workers had to walk to some of the disaster sites in remote regions. "They are trying to evacuate survivors, but very few people are relocating due to the deaths of their relatives or loved ones being trapped in the debris," Faizi said. Buner district deputy commissioner Kashif Qayum Khan also said rescuers were forced to find new ways to reach remote areas. "Many more people may still be trapped under the debris, which local residents cannot clear manually," Khan told AFP. The provincial government has declared the severely affected mountainous districts of Buner, Bajaur, Swat, Shangla, Mansehra and Battagram as disaster-hit areas. The meteorological department has also issued a heavy rain alert for Pakistan's northwest, urging people to take "precautionary measures". Eleven more people were killed in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, and another nine in the northern Gilgit-Baltistan region, national officials said. Five more were killed when a local government helicopter crashed due to bad weather during a relief mission on Friday. The monsoon season brings South Asia about three-quarters of its annual rainfall, vital for agriculture and food security, but it also brings destruction. Landslides and flash floods are common during the season, which usually begins in June and eases by the end of September. 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. It would also increase in intensity over the next fortnight, he said. In Buner district, where there have been dozens of deaths and injuries, resident Azizullah said he "thought it was doomsday". "I heard a loud noise as if the mountain was sliding," he told AFP. "The ground was trembling due to the force of the water, and it felt like death was staring me in the face." An AFP journalist saw three excavators clearing mud and wood from the completely flattened site, while dozens of rescuers and residents also dug through the debris. "My daughter's dowry worth around five hundred thousand rupees ($1,760) was washed away in the flood," resident Abdul Hayat told AFP. "We don't even have clothes to wear, the food was also swept away," he said. 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. In picturesque Swat district, an AFP photographer saw roads submerged in muddy water, downed electricity poles and vehicles half-buried in mud. The torrential rains that have pounded Pakistan since the start of the summer monsoon, described as "unusual" by authorities, have killed more than 650 people, with more than 905 injured. In July, Punjab, home to nearly half of Pakistan's 255 million people, recorded 73 percent more rainfall than the previous year and more deaths than in the entire previous monsoon. Pakistan is one of the world's most vulnerable countries to the effects of climate change and is contending with extreme weather events with increasing frequency. Monsoon floods in 2022 submerged a third of the country and killed around 1,700 people. Another villager in Buner told AFP residents kept on searching through the rubble overnight. "The entire area is reeling from profound trauma," said 32-year-old schoolteacher Saifullah Khan. "I help retrieve the bodies of the children I taught, I keep wondering what kind of trial nature has imposed on these kids," he said. © 2025 AFP
