Latest news with #Dalori
CNA
9 hours ago
- Climate
- CNA
Death toll from northern Pakistan monsoon floods hits almost 400
BAR DALORI, PAKISTAN: Rescuers and villagers searched for survivors on Tuesday (Aug 19) as the death toll from days of torrential rains and flash floods in northern Pakistan climbed to nearly 400. The monsoon deluge has swept away entire villages, triggered landslides and left scores missing, with authorities warning that downpours are likely to continue until the weekend. The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said 356 people were killed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province since Thursday evening. Dozens more died in neighbouring regions, bringing the five-day toll to almost 400. VILLAGES DESTROYED In hard-hit Dalori village, rescuers dug through mud and debris to search for the missing. "Our misery is beyond explanation. In a matter of minutes, we lost everything we had. Our lives are ruined," said Umar Islam, a 31-year-old labourer whose father was killed on Monday. Another resident, Fazal Akbar, said the flooding was 'terrifying'. "It happened so suddenly that no one even had a minute to react. Announcements were made from the mosque, and villagers rushed to begin the rescue themselves. In less than 20 minutes, our village was reduced to ruins," he said. ACCESS BLOCKED Many roads have been washed out, complicating rescue efforts, while damaged phone networks have left parts of the province cut off. In southern Sindh, where rain only began falling on Tuesday, officials warned of possible urban flooding in major cities, including Karachi, due to weak infrastructure. During the downpour, drivers in Karachi were stranded in rising waters and multiple neighbourhoods lost power as the city's old sewer system failed to cope. In neighbouring Balochistan, rain damaged 40 to 50 houses in two districts and blocked the main highway linking the province to Sindh, provincial official Muhammad Younis said. MORE RAIN AHEAD The NDMA said the monsoon rains were expected to continue until Saturday, with another spell forecast for the end of the month. Since June 26, more than 700 people have been killed and nearly 1,000 injured in this year's monsoon season, officials said. Pakistan, one of the world's most climate-vulnerable nations, faces frequent extreme weather events. In 2022, monsoon floods submerged a third of the country, killing about 1,700 people.
Japan Times
15 hours ago
- Climate
- Japan Times
Survivors claw through rubble after deadly Pakistan cloudburst
In the middle of the night, by the glow of their mobile phones, rescuers and villagers dug through the concrete remains of flattened houses after massive rocks crashed down on a remote Pakistani village following a cloudburst. Using hammers, shovels, and in many cases their bare hands to clear the rubble and open blocked pathways, they searched through the debris in darkness, with no electricity in the area. In just minutes, a torrent of water and rocks swept down on the village of Dalori on Monday, destroying at least 15 houses, damaging several others and killing nine people. Around 20 villagers are still trapped under the debris. "A huge bang came from the top of the mountain, and then dark smoke billowed into the sky," said Lal Khan, a 46-year-old local laborer. "A massive surge of water gushed down with the sliding mountain," he added. The cloudburst above Dalori came a few days into heavy monsoon rains that have already killed more than 350 people across mountainous Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, along the northwest border with Afghanistan. Torrential rains in northern Pakistan since Thursday have caused flooding and landslides that have swept away entire villages, with around 200 people still missing. And authorities have warned of fresh flash floods in the coming days. Khan recalled seeing the hand of his neighbor sticking out of the rubble, where rescuers later retrieved her body along with those of her four children. "We are absolutely helpless. We don't have the means to tackle this calamity that nature has sent upon us," Khan added. Fellow resident Gul Hazir said not one but several cloudbursts from two sides of the village struck the remote valley. "It was like an apocalyptic movie. I still can't believe what I saw," Hazir said. "It was not the water that struck first, but a massive amount of rocks and stones that smashed into the houses," Hazir said. Local administration official Usman Khan said at the site that many of the houses had been built in the middle of the stream bed, which worsened the scale of destruction. "There was no way for the water to recede after the cloudburst struck at least 11 separate locations in the area," he said. "It is immensely challenging to carry out operations here, as heavy machinery cannot pass through the narrow alleys." Saqib Ghani, a student who lost his father and was searching for other relatives, tried to claw through the concrete with his bare hands before rescuers pulled him away and villagers gave him water. The single road leading to the village was demolished at several points, while gravel was scattered across the settlement. Despite the challenging conditions, excavators were working at several sites to remove debris that had clogged the drainage channels and blocked the flow of water. Dalori has already held funerals for five victims, while women mourned in darkened homes with no electricity since the disaster. In the village's narrow alleys, unattended cattle wandered freely amid the devastation. "I will not live here anymore," said a grieving woman, draped in a large shawl, as she followed a coffin being carried through the street. Over the past few days, the villagers had been collecting money to help people in neighboring flood-hit areas, until they too were overwhelmed by disaster and lost everything. "We didn't know we would be needing help ourselves," Hazir added.
Yahoo
18 hours ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Survivors claw through rubble after deadly Pakistan cloudburst
In the middle of the night, by the glow of their mobile phones, rescuers and villagers dug through the concrete remains of flattened houses after massive rocks crashed down on a remote Pakistani village following a cloudburst. Using hammers, shovels, and in many cases their bare hands to clear the rubble and open blocked pathways, they searched through the debris in darkness, with no electricity in the area. In just minutes, a torrent of water and rocks swept down on the village of Dalori on Monday, destroying at least 15 houses, damaging several others and killing nine people. Around 20 villagers are still trapped under the debris. "A huge bang came from the top of the mountain, and then dark smoke billowed into the sky," Lal Khan, a 46-year-old local labourer, told AFP. "A massive surge of water gushed down with the sliding mountain," he added. The cloudburst above Dalori came a few days into heavy monsoon rains that have already killed more than 350 people across mountainous Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, along the northwest border with Afghanistan. Torrential rains in northern Pakistan since Thursday have caused flooding and landslides that have swept away entire villages, with around 200 people still missing. And authorities have warned of fresh flash floods in the coming days. Khan recalled seeing the hand of his neighbour sticking out of the rubble, where rescuers later retrieved her body along with those of her four children. "We are absolutely helpless. We don't have the means to tackle this calamity that nature has sent upon us," Khan added. - 'Like an apocalyptic movie' - Fellow resident Gul Hazir said not one but several cloudbursts from two sides of the village struck the remote valley. "It was like an apocalyptic movie. I still can't believe what I saw," Hazir said. "It was not the water that struck first, but a massive amount of rocks and stones that smashed into the houses," Hazir told AFP. Local administration official Usman Khan told AFP at the site that many of the houses had been built in the middle of the stream bed, which worsened the scale of destruction. "There was no way for the water to recede after the cloudburst struck at least 11 separate locations in the area," he said. "It is immensely challenging to carry out operations here, as heavy machinery cannot pass through the narrow alleys." Saqib Ghani, a student who lost his father and was searching for other relatives, tried to claw through the concrete with his bare hands before rescuers pulled him away and villagers gave him water. The single road leading to the village was demolished at several points, while gravel was scattered across the settlement. Despite the challenging conditions, excavators were working at several sites to remove debris that had clogged the drainage channels and blocked the flow of water. Dalori has already held funerals for five victims, while women mourned in darkened homes with no electricity since the disaster. In the village's narrow alleys, unattended cattle wandered freely amid the devastation. "I will not live here anymore," said a grieving woman, draped in a large shawl, as she followed a coffin being carried through the street. Over the past few days, the villagers had been collecting money to help people in neighbouring flood-hit areas, until they too were overwhelmed by disaster and lost everything. "We didn't know we would be needing help ourselves," Hazir added. zz/mtp
Malay Mail
18 hours ago
- Climate
- Malay Mail
‘Like an apocalyptic movie': Survivors claw through rubble after deadly Pakistan cloudburst
BAR DALORI (Pakistan), Aug 19 — In the middle of the night, by the glow of their mobile phones, rescuers and villagers dug through the concrete remains of flattened houses after massive rocks crashed down on a remote Pakistani village following a cloudburst. Using hammers, shovels, and in many cases their bare hands to clear the rubble and open blocked pathways, they searched through the debris in darkness, with no electricity in the area. In just minutes, a torrent of water and rocks swept down on the village of Dalori yesterday, destroying at least 15 houses, damaging several others and killing nine people. Around 20 villagers are still trapped under the debris. 'A huge bang came from the top of the mountain, and then dark smoke billowed into the sky,' Lal Khan, a 46-year-old local labourer, told AFP. 'A massive surge of water gushed down with the sliding mountain,' he added. The cloudburst above Dalori came a few days into heavy monsoon rains that have already killed more than 350 people across mountainous Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, along the northwest border with Afghanistan. Torrential rains in northern Pakistan since Thursday have caused flooding and landslides that have swept away entire villages, with around 200 people still missing. Authorities have warned of fresh flash floods in the coming days. Khan recalled seeing the hand of his neighbour sticking out of the rubble, where rescuers later retrieved her body along with those of her four children. 'We are absolutely helpless. We don't have the means to tackle this calamity that nature has sent upon us,' Khan added. 'Like an apocalyptic movie' Fellow resident Gul Hazir said not one but several cloudbursts from two sides of the village struck the remote valley. 'It was like an apocalyptic movie. I still can't believe what I saw,' Hazir said. 'It was not the water that struck first, but a massive amount of rocks and stones that smashed into the houses,' Hazir told AFP. Local administration official Usman Khan told AFP at the site that many of the houses had been built in the middle of the stream bed, which worsened the scale of destruction. 'There was no way for the water to recede after the cloudburst struck at least 11 separate locations in the area,' he said. 'It is immensely challenging to carry out operations here, as heavy machinery cannot pass through the narrow alleys.' Saqib Ghani, a student who lost his father and was searching for other relatives, tried to claw through the concrete with his bare hands before rescuers pulled him away and villagers gave him water. The single road leading to the village was demolished at several points, while gravel was scattered across the settlement. Despite the challenging conditions, excavators were working at several sites to remove debris that had clogged the drainage channels and blocked the flow of water. Dalori has already held funerals for five victims, while women mourned in darkened homes with no electricity since the disaster. In the village's narrow alleys, unattended cattle wandered freely amid the devastation. 'I will not live here anymore,' said a grieving woman, draped in a large shawl, as she followed a coffin being carried through the street. Over the past few days, the villagers had been collecting money to help people in neighbouring flood-hit areas, until they too were overwhelmed by disaster and lost everything. 'We didn't know we would be needing help ourselves,' Hazir added. — AFP
Khaleej Times
20 hours ago
- Climate
- Khaleej Times
Photos: Pakistan cloudburst survivors claw through rubble after deadly floods
In the middle of the night, by the glow of their mobile phones, rescuers and villagers dug through the concrete remains of flattened houses after massive rocks crashed down on a remote Pakistani village following a cloudburst. Using hammers, shovels, and in many cases their bare hands to clear the rubble and open blocked pathways, they searched through the debris in darkness, with no electricity in the area. In just minutes, a torrent of water and rocks swept down on the village of Dalori on Monday, destroying at least 15 houses, damaging several others and killing nine people. Around 20 villagers are still trapped under the debris. "A huge bang came from the top of the mountain, and then dark smoke billowed into the sky," Lal Khan, a 46-year-old local labourer, told AFP. "A massive surge of water gushed down with the sliding mountain," he added. The cloudburst above Dalori came a few days into heavy monsoon rains that have already killed more than 350 people across mountainous Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, along the northwest border with Afghanistan. Torrential rains in northern Pakistan since Thursday have caused flooding and landslides that have swept away entire villages, with around 200 people still missing. And authorities have warned of fresh flash floods in the coming days. Khan recalled seeing the hand of his neighbour sticking out of the rubble, where rescuers later retrieved her body along with those of her four children. "We are absolutely helpless. We don't have the means to tackle this calamity that nature has sent upon us," Khan added. Like an apocalyptic movie Fellow resident Gul Hazir said not one but several cloudbursts from two sides of the village struck the remote valley. "It was like an apocalyptic movie. I still can't believe what I saw," Hazir said. "It was not the water that struck first, but a massive amount of rocks and stones that smashed into the houses," Hazir told AFP. Local administration official Usman Khan told AFP at the site that many of the houses had been built in the middle of the stream bed, which worsened the scale of destruction. "There was no way for the water to recede after the cloudburst struck at least 11 separate locations in the area," he said. "It is immensely challenging to carry out operations here, as heavy machinery cannot pass through the narrow alleys." Saqib Ghani, a student who lost his father and was searching for other relatives, tried to claw through the concrete with his bare hands before rescuers pulled him away and villagers gave him water. The single road leading to the village was demolished at several points, while gravel was scattered across the settlement. Despite the challenging conditions, excavators were working at several sites to remove debris that had clogged the drainage channels and blocked the flow of water. Dalori has already held funerals for five victims, while women mourned in darkened homes with no electricity since the disaster. In the village's narrow alleys, unattended cattle wandered freely amid the devastation. "I will not live here anymore," said a grieving woman, draped in a large shawl, as she followed a coffin being carried through the street. Over the past few days, the villagers had been collecting money to help people in neighbouring flood-hit areas, until they too were overwhelmed by disaster and lost everything. "We didn't know we would be needing help ourselves," Hazir added.
