Latest news with #BilalFaizi
Arab News
3 days ago
- Climate
- Arab News
Week of heavy rains and floods across Pakistan kills 46 people
PESHAWAR: Nearly a week of heavy monsoon rains and flash floods across Pakistan has killed at least 46 people and injured dozens, officials said Monday. The fatalities caused by abnormally strong downpours since Tuesday include 22 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 13 in eastern Punjab province, seven in southern Sindh, and four in southwestern Balochistan, the National Disaster Management Authority and provincial emergency officials said. 'We are expecting above-normal rains during the monsoon season and alerts have been issued to the concerned authorities to take precautionary measures,' said Irfan Virk, a Pakistan Meteorological Department deputy director. Virk said that forecasters cannot rule out a repeat of extreme weather like the devastating floods in 2022. Rains inundated a third of the country, killing 1,737 people and causing widespread destruction. The deaths from the past week include 13 tourists from a family of 17 who were swept away Friday. The other four family members were rescued from the flooded Swat River in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Rescuers found 12 bodies from the group and divers continued searching Monday for the remaining victim, said Bilal Faizi, a provincial emergency service spokesman. The incident drew widespread condemnation online over what many called a slow response by emergency services. On Sunday, the National Disaster Management Authority had warned of potential hazards and advised people against crossing rivers and streams.
Al Jazeera
3 days ago
- Climate
- Al Jazeera
Days of heavy Pakistan rains, floods kill 46, including 13 from one family
Nearly a week of heavy monsoon rains and flash floods across Pakistan have killed at least 46 people and injured dozens, officials say. The government announced the death toll on Monday and said the fatalities were caused by several days of abnormally strong downpours. They included 22 people in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in northwest Pakistan, 13 in the eastern province of Punjab, seven in Sindh in the south and four in Balochistan in the southwest, the National Disaster Management Authority and provincial emergency officials said. 'We are expecting above-normal rains during the monsoon season, and alerts have been issued to the concerned authorities to take precautionary measures,' Irfan Virk, a deputy director of Pakistan's Meteorological Department, told The Associated Press news agency. Virk said forecasters cannot rule out a repeat of extreme weather like the devastating floods in 2022. Severe rains then inundated a third of the country, killing 1,737 people and causing widespread destruction. The deaths from the past week include 13 tourists from a family of 17 who were swept away on Friday. The other four family members were rescued from the flooded Swat River in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Rescuers found 12 bodies from the family, and divers continued searching on Monday for the remaining victim, said Bilal Faizi, a provincial emergency service spokesman. The incident drew widespread condemnation online over what many called a slow response by emergency services. On Sunday, the National Disaster Management Authority had warned of potential hazards and advised people against crossing rivers and streams.
CTV News
3 days ago
- Climate
- CTV News
A week of heavy rains and floods across Pakistan kills 46 people including 13 family members
PESHAWAR, Pakistan — Nearly a week of heavy monsoon rains and flash floods across Pakistan have killed at least 46 people and injured dozens as continuing severe weather similar to past emergenicies remains possible, officials said Monday. The fatalities caused by abnormally strong downpours since Tuesday include 22 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 13 in eastern Punjab province, seven in southern Sindh and four in southwestern Balochistan, National Disaster Management Authority and provincial emergency officials said. 'We are expecting above-normal rains during the monsoon season and alerts have been issued to the concerned authorities to take precautionary measures,' said Irfan Virk, a Pakistan Meteorological Department deputy director. Virk warned forecasters cannot rule out a repeat of the 'extreme situation' seen during devastating floods in 2022. Rains inundated a third of the country, killing 1,737 people and causing widespread destruction. The deaths from the past week include 13 tourists from a family of 17 who were swept away Friday. The other four family members were rescued from the flooded Swat River in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Rescuers found 12 bodies from the group and divers continued searching Monday for the remaining victim, said Bilal Faizi, a provincial emergency service spokesman. The incident drew widespread condemnation online over what many called a slow response by emergency services. The Associated Press
Al Arabiya
3 days ago
- Climate
- Al Arabiya
A week of heavy rains and floods across Pakistan kills 46 people including 13 family members
Nearly a week of heavy monsoon rains and flash floods across Pakistan have killed at least 46 people and injured dozens, as officials said Monday that continuing severe weather similar to past emergencies remains possible. The fatalities caused by abnormally strong downpours since Tuesday include 22 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 13 in eastern Punjab province, seven in southern Sindh, and four in southwestern Balochistan, the National Disaster Management Authority and provincial emergency officials said. 'We are expecting above-normal rains during the monsoon season, and alerts have been issued to the concerned authorities to take precautionary measures,' said Irfan Virk, a Pakistan Meteorological Department deputy director. Virk warned forecasters cannot rule out a repeat of the extreme situation seen during devastating floods in 2022. Rains inundated a third of the country, killing 1,737 people and causing widespread destruction. The deaths from the past week include 13 tourists from a family of 17 who were swept away Friday. The other four family members were rescued from the flooded Swat River in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. 'Rescuers found 12 bodies from the group, and divers continued searching Monday for the remaining victim,' said Bilal Faizi, a provincial emergency service spokesman. The incident drew widespread condemnation online over what many called a slow response by emergency services.
Arab News
6 days ago
- Climate
- Arab News
At least seven drown, six missing after flash flooding in Pakistan's Swat river
ISLAMABAD: At least seven people drowned and six others were missing in the wake of flash flooding in the Swat river in Pakistan's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, the KP Rescue 1122 service said on Friday. The perennial river originates in the high glacial valleys of the Hindu Kush mountains, from where it flows into the Kalam area before forming the spine of the wider Swat valley. The flash floods resulted from heavy rain, rapidly raising river water to dangerous levels at several locations across the Swat valley, according to the rescue service. Bilal Faizi, a KP Rescue 1122 spokesman, said rescue teams had so far recovered seven bodies from different areas of Swat as floods continued to ravage parts of the valley. 'A total of 16 people were trapped in the floods, with three of them rescued,' he told Arab News. 'Seven dead bodies have been recovered while six people are still missing.' Faizi said a search operation was under way to locate the missing people. The development came a day after Pakistan's National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) warned of heavy rains and flash floods in several parts of the country from June 26 till June 28. It advised residents in flood-prone areas, particularly near nullahs, low-lying zones and slopes, to remain alert and avoid unnecessary movement, calling on emergency services to ensure readiness for any potential incidents. 'A total of 120 rescue personnel are taking part in the rescue operations [in Swat],' Faizi said. Pakistan is currently bracing for another extreme monsoon season and ramping up efforts to deal with any potential calamity. In 2022, deadly floods brought by record monsoon rains and glacial melt killed over 1,700 people and impacted 33 million people in Pakistan. Raging currents swept away homes, vehicles, crops and livestock in damages estimated at $30 billion.
