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At least 344 people have been killed in Pakistan due to recent flash floods, with the hardest-hit Khyber Pakhtunkhwa accounting for 324 deaths alone.
Pakistan is reeling under extreme weather, with nearly 350 dead due to flash floods. (AFP)
Pakistan is reeling from flash floods that were triggered by heavy monsoon rains, which have killed nearly 350 people across the country. The worst-hit area was the mountainous province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where 150 people are still reported missing.
According to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), at least 344 people have been killed by flash floods, with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province accounting for 324 deaths alone. At least 150 people are still missing in the hardest-hit Buner district, which has reported 208 deaths.
“In Buner, at least 150 people are still missing. They could be trapped under the rubble of their homes or swept away by floodwaters,” Asfandyar Khattak, head of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Provincial Disaster Management Authority, told AFP.
Khattak said dozens of people were reported missing in the Shangla district, and the rescue operations were hampered by continuous rain, as workers operated without any electricity or mobile signal due to power lines and mobile towers being damaged in the flash floods.
Situation Grim In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Thousands of rescue workers are desperately searching for survivors, battling rain and knee-deep mud to dig homes out from under debris. At least 10-12 villagers were “partially buried” due to the flash floods, according to Khattak.
Bilal Ahmed Faizi of the province’s rescue agency said around 2,000 rescue workers were engaged in recovering bodies from the debris and carrying out relief operations across nine districts. “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”.
Additionally, flooded roads had obstructed the movement of rescue vehicles, while a few villagers began clearing fallen trees to open the path once the water had receded. Several houses and shops have been completely destroyed.
ALSO READ: Over 340 Killed In Last 48 Hours As Flash Floods Ravage Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Meanwhile, the provincial government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has declared the districts of Buner, Bajaur, Swat, Shangla, Mansehra and Battagram as disaster-hit areas.
The Pakistan Meteorological Department had earlier issued a warning for continued heavy rainfall in the northwest and urged residents to take precautions. Authorities said this year’s monsoon began earlier than usual and may last longer, with higher-than-average rainfall expected in the coming weeks.
Over 650 people have died and over 900 have been injured across Pakistan in this monsoon season. In 2022, record monsoon floods submerged a third of the country, killing around 1,700 people.
(with inputs from AFP)
Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master’s in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in international…Read More
Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master’s in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in international… Read More
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