Latest news with #Azizullah
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
'Doomsday' floods and landslides kill more than 300 in Pakistan and Indian Kashmir with mass funerals held
At least 300 people have been killed from devastating monsoon floods and landslides in Pakistan and India-controlled Kashmir. 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.
Saudi Gazette
4 days ago
- Climate
- Saudi Gazette
Flash floods kill more than 300 across Pakistan
ISLAMABAD — Flash floods and landslides triggered by torrential monsoon rains have killed at least 307 people across Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir, authorities said Saturday, as rescue efforts continue in several mountainous regions declared disaster zones. The majority of fatalities were reported in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in northwestern Pakistan, where steep terrain and relentless downpours caused widespread destruction. At least 74 homes were damaged, and a military helicopter carrying emergency personnel crashed en route to Bajaur due to severe weather, killing all five crew members, officials said. In the northern Gilgit-Baltistan region, five people were confirmed dead. Another nine fatalities occurred in Pakistan-administered Kashmir. Rescue workers remain on high alert, as the national meteorological department warned that heavy rainfall is expected to persist until August 21 in affected areas. 'It felt like doomsday,' said Buner resident Azizullah, describing the moment a torrent swept through his village. 'The ground was trembling due to the force of the water. It felt like death was staring me in the face.' In Bajaur, mourners gathered for funeral prayers near a muddy hillside where rescue crews, using heavy equipment, searched for victims buried under debris. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province declared a day of mourning in honor of the victims. Meanwhile, in Indian-administered Kashmir, at least 60 people died when a flash flood struck a remote Himalayan village, washing away homes and leaving dozens missing, authorities said Friday. The South Asian monsoon season, spanning June to September, brings about 75% of the region's annual rainfall. But this year, the downpours have proven especially deadly. In July, the Punjab region—home to nearly half of Pakistan's 255 million population—recorded 73% more rain than the same month last year and more flood-related deaths than during the entire previous monsoon season. Scientists attribute the rising frequency and intensity of extreme weather events in South Asia to climate change. — BBC
CBS News
4 days ago
- Climate
- CBS News
Hundreds die in Pakistan after flash floods, landslides
Flooding in northwest Pakistan has killed more than 220 people over the last 48 hours, officials said Saturday, as rescuers pulled 63 more bodies overnight from homes flattened by flash floods and landslides. Pakistan has received higher-than-normal monsoon rainfall this year, triggering floods and mudslides that have killed more than 540 people since June 26, according to the National Disaster Management Authority. One resident told AFP that the flash floods felt like "the end of the world" as the ground shook with the force of the water. "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," said Azizullah. "The ground was trembling due to the force of the water, and it felt like death was staring me in the face." Hundreds of rescue workers are still searching for survivors in Buner, one of several places in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province where torrential rains and cloudbursts caused massive flooding on Friday, said Mohammad Suhail, a spokesman for the emergency services. Dozens of homes were swept away. First responders have been trying to recover bodies from the worst-hit villages of Pir Baba and Malik Pura, where most of the fatalities were, said Kashif Qayyum, a deputy commissioner in Buner. Local police officer Imtiaz Khan, who narrowly escaped the deluges, said floodwaters carrying hundreds of boulders struck and flattened homes within minutes. "A stream near Pir Baba village in Buner swelled without warning. At first, we thought it was a normal flash flood, but when tons of rocks came crashing down with the water, 60 to 70 houses were swept away in moments," Khan told The Associated Press, adding that many bodies were left mutilated. "Our police station was washed away, too, and if we hadn't climbed to higher ground, we would not have survived." Rescuers said they saw large swathes of Pir Baba village destroyed, wrecked homes, and giant rocks filling the streets as the water started to recede. "It was not just the floodwater, it was a flood of boulders as well, which we saw for the first time in our lives," said Sultan Syed, 45, who suffered a broken arm. Mohammad Khan, 53, said the floods "came so fast that many could not leave their homes." Most victims died before reaching the hospital, said Mohammad Tariq, a doctor in Buner. "Many among the dead were children and men, while women were away in the hills collecting firewood and grazing cattle," he said. Mourners attended mass funerals on Saturday, while authorities supplied tents and food items to flood-affected people in Buner. Local cleric Mufti Fazal said he led funeral prayers at multiple locations since Friday morning. "Before yesterday's floods, the area was bustling with life. Now, there is grief and sorrow everywhere." Schoolteacher Suleman Khan lost 25 members of his extended family, saying he and his brother survived only because they were away from home when the floods hit his village, Qadar Nagar. According to the provincial disaster management authority, at least 351 people have died in rain-related incidents this week across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the northern region of Gilgit-Baltistan. Nearly 300 kilometers (about 186 miles) away in Indian-controlled Kashmir, rescuers scoured the remote village of Chositi in the district of Kishtwar on Saturday, looking for dozens of missing people after it was hit by flash floods two days ago, killing 60 and injuring some 150, about 50 in critical condition. Thursday's floods struck during an annual Hindu pilgrimage in the area. Authorities have rescued over 300 people, while some 4,000 pilgrims have been evacuated to safety. Such cloudbursts are increasingly common in India's Himalayan regions and Pakistan's northern areas, and experts have said climate change is a contributing factor. Pakistani officials said rescuers since Thursday have evacuated more than 3,500 tourists trapped in flood-hit areas across the country. Many travelers have ignored government warnings about avoiding vulnerable regions in the north and northwest. Pakistan witnessed its worst-ever monsoon season in 2022. It killed more than 1,700 people and caused an estimated $40 billion in damage.
Daily Tribune
4 days ago
- Climate
- Daily Tribune
Pakistan Floods Kill 199
Landslides and flash floods triggered by heavy monsoon rains across northern Pakistan have killed at least 199 people in the past 24 hours, national and local officials said yesterday. Of those killed, 180 were recorded in the mountainous Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where one resident likened the disaster to 'doomsday'. Another nine people were killed in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, along with five in the northern Gilgit-Baltistan region, the National Disaster Management Authority said. Most were killed in flash floods and collapsing houses, with the dead including 19 women and 17 children. At least 28 others were injured. Another five people, including two pilots, were killed when a Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government helicopter crashed due to bad weather during a relief mission, the province's chief minister, Ali Amin Gandapur, said in a statement. The provincial government has declared the severely affected mountainous districts of Buner, Bajaur, Mansehra and Battagram disaster-hit areas. In Bajaur, a tribal district abutting Afghanistan, a crowd gathered around an excavator digging through a mud-soaked hill, AFP photos showed. Funeral prayers began in a paddock nearby, with people grieving in front of several bodies covered by blankets. '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,' Azizullah, a resident of Buner district, where there have been dozens of deaths and injuries, told AFP. 'I thought it was doomsday,' he said. 'The ground was trembling due to the force of the water, and it felt like death was staring me in the face,' said Azizullah who, like many in the region, uses only one name. The meteorological department has issued a heavy rain alert for Pakistan's northwest, urging people to avoid 'unnecessary exposure to vulnerable areas'. In the Indian-administered part of Kashmir, a region divided with Pakistan, rescuers pulled bodies from mud and rubble yesterday after a flood crashed through a Himalayan village, killing at least 60 people and washing away dozens more. Prolonged monsoon 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. Syed Muhammad Tayyab Shah, a representative of the national disaster agency, told AFP that this year's monsoon season began earlier than usual and is expected to end later. 'The next 15 days... the intensity of the monsoon will further exacerbate,' he said. The provincial government has declared Saturday a day of mourning, chief minister Gandapur said. 'The national flag will fly at half-mast across the province, and the martyrs will be laid to rest with full state honours,' the statement from his office said. Scientists say that climate change has made weather events around the world more extreme and more frequent. Pakistan is one of the world's most vulnerable countries to the effects of climate change, and its population is contending with extreme weather events with increasing frequency. The torrential rains that have pounded Pakistan since the start of the summer monsoon, described as 'unusual' by authorities, have killed more than 500 people, including 159 children.
Time of India
4 days ago
- Climate
- Time of India
'Like doomsday': Pakistan floods wreak havoc, sweep away villages; over 320 killed; video captures devastation
Rescuers in Pakistan are struggling to recover bodies after flash floods triggered by relentless monsoon rains killed at least 321 people in the past 48 hours, officials told AFP on Saturday. Most casualties were reported in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where 307 people died as rivers burst their banks and houses collapsed. — RT_com (@RT_com) A video shared by showed the scale of destruction as torrents swept through towns and villages, leaving entire neighbourhoods in ruins. The floods, described by residents as 'doomsday', have left many communities cut off with relief efforts hampered by washed-out roads and ongoing rainfall. Rescue efforts under strain Authorities said around 2,000 rescue workers are engaged in operations across nine districts, but access remains severely restricted. '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. 'Due to road closures in most areas, rescue workers are travelling on foot to conduct operations in remote regions,' he added. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Project Management 2.0 with IITD IITD PM Apply Now Undo Buner district has been hardest hit, recording at least 184 deaths. Other badly affected areas include Shangla, Mansehra, Swat, Bajaur and Battagram. The provincial government has declared these mountainous districts as disaster zones. 'Like the end of the world' Survivors have described terrifying scenes as torrents tore through homes without warning. '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,' Azizullah told AFP. 'The ground was trembling due to the force of the water, and it felt like death was staring me in the face.' Mass funerals were held across affected districts on Friday, with mourners grieving in front of rows of bodies covered by blankets. Local schoolteacher Saifullah Khan said: 'We still have no clear idea who in this small village is alive and who is dead. I help retrieve the bodies of the children I taught, I keep wondering what kind of trial nature has imposed on these kids.' Officials warned the death toll is likely to rise further as dozens remain missing. Pakistan's meteorological department has issued more rain alerts, warning that the intensity of the monsoon will worsen over the next two weeks.
