Latest news with #Bunar
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Hopes for survivors wane as landslides, flooding bury Pakistan villages
Thousands of Pakistani rescuers battled rain and knee-deep mud Sunday, digging homes out from under massive boulders in a desperate search for survivors after flash floods killed at least 344 people in the country's mountainous north. Most of the deaths were reported in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where monsoon rains that are only expected to intensify in the days ahead drove flooding and landslides that collapsed houses. In hardest-hit Bunar district, at least 208 people were killed and "10 to 12 entire villages" partially buried, a provincial rescue spokesman told AFP. "The operation to rescue people trapped under debris is ongoing," said Bilal Ahmed Faizi of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's rescue agency. "There is still concern that dozens of people may be trapped under the rubble… the chances of those buried under the debris surviving are very slim". He said that around 2,000 rescue workers were engaged in recovering bodies from the debris and carrying out relief operations across nine districts, where rain was still hampering efforts. AFP journalists in Buner saw half-buried vehicles and belongings lying strewn in the sludge, with mud covering houses and shops. Flooded roads hampered the movement of rescue vehicles, as a few villagers worked to cut fallen trees to clear the way after the water receded. "Our belongings are scattered, ruined and are in bad shape," local shopkeeper Noor Muhammad told AFP as he used a shovel to remove mud. "The shops have been destroyed along with everything else. Even the little money people had has been washed away," he added. The provincial government has declared the severely affected mountainous districts of Buner, Bajaur, Swat, Shangla, Mansehra and Battagram as disaster-hit areas. "This disaster has spread everywhere and surrounded us from all sides. We were trapped in our homes and could not get out, another Buner resident, Syed Wahab Bacha, told AFP. "Our entire poor community has been affected. The shops in the lower bazaar have been destroyed. This road was our only path, and it too has been washed away," he added. - Mass funerals - On Saturday, hundreds of locals gathered for mass funerals, where bodies wrapped in blood-stained white shawls were laid out on the village ground. Fallen trees and straw debris were scattered across nearby fields, while residents shoveled mud brought in by the floods out of their homes. Pakistan's meteorological department has forecast that "torrential rains" with monsoon activity were "likely to intensify" from Sunday onwards. The department warned of more flash floods and landslides in the country's northwest and urged people to avoid exposure to vulnerable areas. The monsoon season brings South Asia about three-quarters of its annual rainfall, vital for agriculture and food security, but 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. The torrential rains that have pounded Pakistan since the start of the summer monsoon, described as "unusual" by authorities, have killed at least 650 people, with more than 910 injured. 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 on Saturday that residents had spent the night searching through the rubble of their former homes. "The entire area is reeling from profound trauma," said 32-year-old schoolteacher Saifullah Khan. "I helped retrieve the bodies of the children I taught. I keep wondering what kind of trial nature has imposed on these kids," he said. la-zz/cwl
France 24
2 days ago
- Climate
- France 24
Hopes for survivors wane as landslides, flooding bury Pakistan villages
Most of the deaths were reported in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where monsoon rains that are only expected to intensify in the days ahead drove flooding and landslides that collapsed houses. In hardest-hit Bunar district, at least 208 people were killed and "10 to 12 entire villages" partially buried, a provincial rescue spokesman told AFP. "The operation to rescue people trapped under debris is ongoing," said Bilal Ahmed Faizi of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's rescue agency. "There is still concern that dozens of people may be trapped under the rubble… the chances of those buried under the debris surviving are very slim". He said that around 2,000 rescue workers were engaged in recovering bodies from the debris and carrying out relief operations across nine districts, where rain was still hampering efforts. AFP journalists in Buner saw half-buried vehicles and belongings lying strewn in the sludge, with mud covering houses and shops. Flooded roads hampered the movement of rescue vehicles, as a few villagers worked to cut fallen trees to clear the way after the water receded. "Our belongings are scattered, ruined and are in bad shape," local shopkeeper Noor Muhammad told AFP as he used a shovel to remove mud. "The shops have been destroyed along with everything else. Even the little money people had has been washed away," he added. The provincial government has declared the severely affected mountainous districts of Buner, Bajaur, Swat, Shangla, Mansehra and Battagram as disaster-hit areas. "This disaster has spread everywhere and surrounded us from all sides. We were trapped in our homes and could not get out, another Buner resident, Syed Wahab Bacha, told AFP. "Our entire poor community has been affected. The shops in the lower bazaar have been destroyed. This road was our only path, and it too has been washed away," he added. Mass funerals On Saturday, hundreds of locals gathered for mass funerals, where bodies wrapped in blood-stained white shawls were laid out on the village ground. Fallen trees and straw debris were scattered across nearby fields, while residents shoveled mud brought in by the floods out of their homes. Pakistan's meteorological department has forecast that "torrential rains" with monsoon activity were "likely to intensify" from Sunday onwards. The department warned of more flash floods and landslides in the country's northwest and urged people to avoid exposure to vulnerable areas. The monsoon season brings South Asia about three-quarters of its annual rainfall, vital for agriculture and food security, but 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. The torrential rains that have pounded Pakistan since the start of the summer monsoon, described as "unusual" by authorities, have killed at least 650 people, with more than 910 injured. 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 on Saturday that residents had spent the night searching through the rubble of their former homes. "The entire area is reeling from profound trauma," said 32-year-old schoolteacher Saifullah Khan.
SBS Australia
3 days ago
- Climate
- SBS Australia
Over 320 killed in monsoon rains in Pakistan
The death toll from heavy monsoon rains that have triggered flash floods across northern Pakistan has risen to at least 320 people in the past 48 hours, according to disaster agencies. The majority of the deaths were recorded in mountainous Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, according to the National Disaster Management Authority. First responders have been trying to recover bodies in the worst-hit villages of Pir Baba and Malik Pura, where most people died on Friday, according to Kashif Qayyum, a deputy commissioner in Bunar. Mohammad Khan, a Pir Baba resident, said people had no time to escape. "We do not know from where the floodwater came, but it came so fast that many could not leave their homes," he said. Nine more people were killed in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, while five died in the northern Gilgit-Baltistan region. Most were killed in flash floods and collapsing houses, while 21 others were injured. The meteorological department has issued a heavy rain alert for Pakistan's northwest, urging people to take "precautionary measures". Meanwhile, the provincial rescue agency said that around 2,000 rescue workers were engaged in recovering bodies from the debris and carrying out relief operations in nine affected districts. "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 said. "Due to road closures in most areas, rescue workers are travelling on foot to conduct operations in remote regions," he added. "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." 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 tourists have ignored government warnings that urged people to avoid flood-hit regions in the northern and northwestern regions, fearing more landslides and flash floods. In 2022, Pakistan witnessed the worst monsoon season that killed more than 1,700 people and caused an estimated $61 billion in damage.
