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Daily Mail
21 hours ago
- Climate
- Daily Mail
Flash floods kill hundreds in Pakistan as fast-flowing water sends boulders crashing through villages
Flash floods across northern Pakistan and India-controlled Kashmir have killed at least 344 people in the past 48 hours, local authorities said on Saturday. Most of the deaths, 328, were reported in the mountains of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, according to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority. Eleven more people were killed in Kashmir, while five died in the northern Gilgit-Baltistan region. Another five people, including two pilots, were killed when a local government helicopter crashed as a result of the bad weather during a relief mission on Friday. Rescuers began a third day of scouring Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Saturday, while others looked for missing people in the Kishtwar district of Kashmir. Mass funerals were held in the Buner district, one of the worst-hit areas, where 184 people were reported dead by local officials. The majority were killed in flash floods or when houses collapsed, while at least 120 others have been injured. One eyewitness, who escaped the deluges in Buner, described seeing floodwaters carrying hundreds of boulders and 'tons of rocks' crashing down. Hundreds of rescue workers are still searching for survivors in Buner, one of several places 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,' Khan said. Pakistan's Meteorological Department predicted torrential rains in the coming days and warned that monsoon activity was likely to intensify from Sunday onwards, including in the north and northwest. 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.' Pakistani leaders, including the prime minister and president, offered their condolences to the families of the dead and said they were praying for the speedy recovery of the injured. The chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Ali Amin Gandapur, said efforts were underway to repair roads and other damaged infrastructure. Pakistan has received higher-than-normal monsoon rainfall this year, which experts link to climate change, triggering floods and mudslides that have killed some 541 people since June 26, according to the National Disaster Management Authority. Mourners attended mass funerals on Saturday, while authorities supplied tents and food to people in Buner. Local cleric Mufti Fazal had 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. He and his brother survived only because they were away from home when the floods hit his village Qadar Nagar. In Pir Baba, mourners laid out the covered bodies of their loved ones on wooden bedframes or bore them aloft ahead of burials. In a hospital, paramedics placed blocks of ice next to the deceased or comforted the injured. 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. In India-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 earlier, 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.
Japan Times
2 days ago
- Climate
- Japan Times
'Doomsday' monsoon rains lash Pakistan, killing almost 200 people
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 Friday. 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. 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," said Azizullah, a resident of Buner district, where there have been dozens of deaths and injuries. "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 on Friday after a flood crashed through a Himalayan village, killing at least 60 people and washing away dozens more. 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, said 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 honors," 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. In July, Punjab, home to nearly half of Pakistan's 255 million people, recorded 73% more rainfall than the previous year and more deaths than in the entire previous monsoon. Monsoon floods in 2022 submerged a third of the country and killed around 1,700 people.
CBC
2 days ago
- Climate
- CBC
More than 200 people killed by flash floods in India and Pakistan, with scores still missing
Flash floods triggered by torrential rains have killed more than 200 people and left scores of others missing in India and Pakistan over the past 24 hours, officials said Friday, as rescuers brought to safety some 1,600 people from two mountainous districts in the neighbouring countries. In Pakistan, a helicopter carrying relief supplies to the flood-hit northwestern Bajaur district crashed on Friday due to bad weather, killing all five people on board, including two pilots, a government statement said. Sudden, intense downpours over small areas, known as cloudbursts, are increasingly common in India's Himalayan regions and Pakistan's northern areas, which are prone to flash floods and landslides. Cloudbursts have the potential to wreak havoc by causing intense flooding and landslides, impacting thousands of people in the mountainous regions. Experts say cloudbursts have increased in recent years partly because of climate change, while damage from the storms also has increased because of unplanned development in mountain regions. Dozens missing in remote Himalayan village In India-controlled Kashmir, rescuers searched for missing people in the remote Himalayan village of Chositi on Friday after flash floods a day earlier left at least 60 people dead and at least 80 missing, officials said. Officials halted rescue operations overnight but rescued at least 300 people Thursday after a powerful cloudburst triggered floods and landslides. Officials said many missing people were believed to have been washed away. Harvinder Singh, a local resident, joined the rescue efforts immediately after the disaster and helped retrieve 33 bodies from under mud, he said. At least 50 seriously injured people were treated in local hospitals, many of them rescued from a stream filled with mud and debris. Disaster management official Mohammed Irshad said the number of missing people could increase. Weather officials forecast more heavy rains and floods in the area. Chositi, in Kashmir's Kishtwar district, is the last village accessible to motor vehicles on the route of an ongoing annual Hindu pilgrimage to a mountainous shrine at an altitude of 3,000 metres. Officials said the pilgrimage, which began July 25 and was scheduled to end on Sept. 5, was suspended. The devastating floods swept away the main community kitchen set up for the pilgrims, as well as dozens of vehicles and motorbikes. More than 200 pilgrims were in the kitchen at the time of the flood, which also damaged or washed away many of the homes clustered together in the foothills, officials said. Sneha, who gave only one name, said her husband and a daughter were swept away as floodwaters gushed down the mountain. The two were having a meal at the community kitchen while she and her son were nearby. The family had come for pilgrimage, she said. Photos and videos on social media show extensive damage, with household goods strewn next to damaged vehicles and homes in the village. Authorities made makeshift bridges Friday to help stranded pilgrims cross a muddy water channel and used dozens of pieces of equipment to shift boulders, uprooted trees, electricity poles and other debris. The Kishtwar district is home to multiple hydroelectric power projects, which experts have long warned pose a threat to the region's fragile ecosystem. Hundreds of tourists trapped by floods in Pakistan In northern and northwestern Pakistan, flash floods killed at least 164 people in the past 24 hours, including 78 people who died in the flood-hit Buner district on Friday. Dozens were injured as the deluge destroyed homes in villages in Buner, where authorities declared a state of emergency. Ambulances have transported 56 bodies to local hospitals, according to a government statement. The helicopter that crashed on Friday was on a relief mission when it went down in the northwest, said provincial chief minister Ali Amin Gandapur. Rescuers evacuated 1,300 stranded tourists from a mountainous Mansehra district hit by landslides on Thursday. At least 35 people were reported missing in these areas, according to local officials. Rescuers backed by boats and helicopters worked to reach stranded residents. Dozens of villages were still missing and the death toll is likely to rise, Kashif Qayyum said. More than 477 people, mostly women and children, have died in rain-related incidents across Pakistan since June 26, according to the National Disaster Management Authority. Deaths were reported from different parts of Pakistan on Thursday. Bilal Faizi, a provincial emergency service spokesperson in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, said rescuers worked for hours to save 1,300 tourists after they were trapped by flash flooding and landslides in the Siran Valley, in Mansehra district, on Thursday. The Gilgit-Baltistan region has been hit by multiple floods since July, triggering landslides along the Karakoram Highway, a key trade and travel route linking Pakistan and China that is used by tourists to travel to the scenic north. The region is home to scenic glaciers that provide 75 per cent of Pakistan's stored water supply. Pakistan's disaster management agency has issued fresh alerts for glacial lake outburst flooding in the north, warning travellers to avoid affected areas. A study released this week by World Weather Attribution, a network of international scientists, found rainfall in Pakistan from June 24 to July 23 was 10 to 15 per cent heavier because of global warming. In 2022, the country's worst monsoon season on record killed more than 1,700 people and caused an estimated $40 billion US in damage. WATCH | Six members of one family missing in landslide: Six members of one family missing in India landslide 7 days ago A mother and father recount the moment they learned of the flash flood and landslide that hit the Himalayan village of Dharali on Tuesday — and how they spoke with one of their children before the phone connection was lost and they weren't heard from again.
Yahoo
12-07-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Fuel to Air India plane was cut off moments before crash, investigation report says
The report, issued by India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, also indicated that both pilots were confused over the change to the switch setting, which caused a loss of engine thrust shortly after takeoff.
Newsweek
02-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Newsweek
Family Adopts Dog From Texas Shelter, Her Journey to New Home Goes Viral
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A couple from Citrus Heights, California, had their new rescue dog flown in to them via plane, and the footage of her trip has left internet users in tears. In a viral TikTok video shared on Friday under the username @thecavileers, the pup can be seen napping at the back of the small plane, wearing headphones to protect her ears. Her owners Taylor and Jason Cavileer told Newsweek that Lumina was adopted from Hannah's Southern Paws Rescue in Dallas, Texas, and she had to be transported via plane to them, because it was too far from their home. The shelter transported her only up until Rancho Santa Fe, which is about eight to nine hours away from where the couple live, so they contacted another rescue program to get help taking her home. Screenshots of the viral video show Lumina in headphones, right, being flown home by volunteer pilots. Screenshots of the viral video show Lumina in headphones, right, being flown home by volunteer pilots. @thecavileers "Volunteer pilots (Promit Sinha and Victor Vasquez) flew her to Auburn, California, which is about 30 minutes from our home for us to pick her up. She was flown through the program Pilots n Paws, which is an organization that flies shelter dogs and rescue pups to their forever homes," the Cavileers said. According to her owners, Lumina has already settled in so beautifully, and it is like she has always been part of the family. "She's already figured out her favorite cozy spots, loves snuggling up with us, and follows us around like a little shadow. She's been so gentle, curious, and full of personality, and we're honestly amazed by how quickly she's adjusted. We're so proud of her and can't wait to see her continue to blossom in her forever home," the Cavileers said. Lumina and her two siblings were abandoned at an early age, all suffering from severe mange, and it seemed like they couldn't stand a chance, until Hannah's Southern Paws Rescue stepped in. The owners said: "Hannah gave Lumina and her sister the care, love, and medical attention they desperately needed to heal and thrive. Heartbreakingly, their brother didn't make it, but his memory lives on through his sisters. Thanks to Hannah and her rescue, Lumina now has a second chance—and we're so honored to be part of her journey." After losing their soul dog, Tiny, last year, the Cavileer family went on Petfinder to adopt another pup and give them a chance at life. That was when they met Lumina, who stole their hearts immediately. "She had already been adopted and returned twice, but now we understand why—she was meant to be ours all along. From the moment we met her, it just felt right. We are so happy she is a part of our family forever," the Cavileers said. In 2024, almost 3 million dogs entered shelters across the country, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA). In some states, shelter intake rates are much higher than others. Data by Statista shows that Western states usually deal with much higher numbers than Eastern ones. The state with the highest rate is New Mexico, which, in 2019, registered more than 3,200 animals surrendered per 100,000 inhabitants. Next up were Idaho, Colorado, Montana, and Nevada, all with more than 2,000 animals taken in per 100,000 residents. @thecavileers Huge thank you to our pilots who volunteered & flew her to us. Faith in humanity restored! Follow her at @ 🫶🏼🐾 #dogsoftiktok ♬ original sound - thecavileers The video quickly went viral on social media and it has so far received over 169,400 views and more than 44,400 likes on the platform. One user, Ashlee Morales, commented: "Omg [oh my God] the ear protectors! I didn't know they had those for dogs! Definitely bonus points." EP posted: "Let this be a sign to everyone to adopt dogs from the south!!! Shelters are so overcrowded here in Alabama. Adopt, don't shop." User6956035913199 added: "Omg she has the best parents. God bless y'all." Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@ with some details about your best friend, and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
