Flash floods and landslides occurred in Buner, a hilly district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Friday after the Arighopte monsoon rains.
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Asfandiyar Khattak, the head of the Provincial Disaster Management Agency, said on Sunday that at least 344 people have died and more than 150 people have gone missing in the devastating floods in northwest Pakistan.
Thousands of rescue workers are digging through the rubble of houses, searching for survivors amid heavy rains and mudslides.
'About 150 people are still missing in Buner district alone . "They may have been trapped under the debris or washed away by the flood," Khattak said. According to him, dozens of people are also missing in Sangla district.
The most damage has been done in Benera. At least two hundred and eight people died there and about 10-12 villages were partially buried, said the provincial rescue spokesperson.
'Rescue operations of those trapped under the debris are continuing', said Bilal Ahmad Faizi, spokesperson of the rescue agency. According to him, about 2000 rescue workers have been deployed in nine districts for relief work.
Flash floods and landslides occurred in Buner district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Friday Arighopte monsoon rains .
According to Mohammad Sohail, spokesperson of emergency services, more than half of the damaged roads have been opened and vehicles and heavy machinery have started reaching the remote villages. Police and rescue workers are searching for missing people in the ruins of destroyed houses, removing stones and mud.
The biggest accident happened in Kadar Nagar village . There, on the eve of the wedding, 24 people of the same family died when the flood water entered the house. Umar Khan, the head of the family, managed to survive as he was out of the house. Four of his relatives are still missing.
Provincial Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandhapur reached Buner on Saturday and announced that he will give 2 million rupees (about seven thousand two hundred dollars) to the family of the deceased. He also said that initiatives are being taken to prevent the spread of water-borne diseases by providing tents, food and clean drinking water.
Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif is directly monitoring the relief work and has given instructions to intensify the distribution of immediate aid, the rescue of the trapped and the search for the missing persons.
The Disaster Management Authority has warned of more floods and landslides from August 17 to 19 and asked the local administration to be alert. This year, more than 600 people have died in the monsoon that started from June 26.
The record monsoon rains that came to Pakistan in 2022 killed about 1,700 people and destroyed millions of houses. Every year during the monsoon from June to September, villages especially in the northwestern hilly areas are vulnerable to flash floods and landslides. According to
experts, due to climate change, such extreme weather events are becoming more and more severe in South Asia.
Meanwhile, India-administered Kashmir has also experienced flash floods after heavy rains. At least seven people died and five were injured in Kathua district. After the flood three days ago in the remote Chositi village of Kishtwar district, the rescue team is still continuing the search operation. At least 60 people died and more than 150 were injured in this incident. About 50 of the injured are in serious condition.
The flood occurred during the annual Hindu pilgrimage. Authorities have rescued more than 300 people and around 4000 pilgrims have been shifted to safe places.
