Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in mourning as flood death toll tops 325

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Authorities assess damages in disaster-hit districts of Buner, Bajaur, Mansehra, Battagram: NDMA warns monsoon intensity to exacerbate further in next 15 days

2025-08-16T09:31:00+05:00 News Desk

The death toll rose sharply to over 325 as the authorities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa assessed the devastation caused by landslides and flash floods triggered by heavy monsoon rains coupled with cloud bursts across the province, reported 24NewsHD TV channel on Saturday.

Of those killed, 221 were recorded in Buner District alone, where one resident likened the disaster to "doomsday". As many as 158 people died in Gaddezai Tehsil of Buner, 38 in Chugharzai Tehsil and 25 in Daggar Tehsil. Twenty-two people were still reported buried under the debris in Gulbandi area of Buner. So far 131 dead bodies have been brought to THQ Hospital in Gaddezai Tehsil. 

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The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa-led government has imposed emergency in the nine flood-hit districts. According to details surfaced on Saturday, emergency would be imposed in Swat, Buner, Bajaur, Torghar, Manshera, Shangla, Dir Lower, Battagram. The communique said that emergency would be imposed till August 31 for providing relief to the flood-stricken population.

2,000 rescue workers in action

The KP officials told AFP 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 told AFP.

"Due to road closures in most areas, rescue workers are traveling 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."

Army, FC continue relief operations

Relief operation by Pakistan Army and FC troops was ongoing in Buner, Swat and Bajaur on Saturday.

Fresh reinforcements from Pakistan Army have also arrived to help rescue the citizens. Flood victims were being shifted to safe places through helicopters. Food and relief materials are also being delivered to people stranded at different places. 

According to officials, the relief operation will continue until all the victims are rescued safely. 

Pakistan army has sent more troops for the flood relief operation to Buner. The injured people and dead bodies buried under the mud will be retrieved by using special equipment from the Army Corps of Engineers. The Pakistan army teams are engaged in the relief activities in the affected districts. The Rations and other supplies are being provided through the army helicopters and people are being shifted to safe areas from the flooded areas.

Meanwhile, IG FC Khyber Pakhtunkhwa North, Major General Rao Imran Sartaj also visited flood-affected areas in Buner. He took part in relief activities. He said rescue operation will continue until all the affected people are safely rescued and transferred to safe areas. 
Pakistan Army has started work to install a new bridge after the crucial bridge connecting Bajaur and Dir was washed away in the flood. Pak Army Corps of Engineers troops have left for Bajaur equipped with necessary equipment. The installation of the new bridge will be completed in a few days. The Pakistan Army Corps of Engineers troops will work day and night. 

Naltar Expressway washes away 

Rains have also wreaked havoc in Gilgit-Baltistan as a large part of the Naltar Expressway was washed away, due to which the land connection of the Naltar valley has been cut off. 

According to Gilgit-Baltistan government spokesman Faizullah Faraq, a large number of tourists are stranded in Naltar. However, relief operations have been intensified in the affected areas. 

Faizullah Faraq said power supply is suspended due to the closure of three power plants in Naltar. 

Due to the flood relay, the Hunza River has turned towards Goro-Jaglot and flood water has entered several houses and hotels in Jaglot-Goro.

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API Response:

Monsoon rains so far kill 634 people

National Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) issued a report on Saturday revealing that overall 634 died and 768 were injured in rain-related incidents across the country since advent of monsoon season on June 26. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa reported 378 deaths, Punjab 164, Sindh 28, Balochistan 20, Gilgit Baltistan 24, Azad Jammu and Kashmir 12, and Islamabad 8.

582 people were injured in Punjab, 12 in Khyber Pukhtunkhwa, Sindh 40, Balochistan 4, Gilgit Baltistan 13, Azad Kashmir 14, and Islamabad 3.

Other KP districts which reported fatalities were Shangla where 35 people were killed, 23 in Mansehra, lightning claimed 15 lives in Battagram, 21 died in Bajaur and 11 in Swat.

Most were killed in flash floods and collapsing houses, with the dead including 19 women and 17 children.

Another five people, including two pilots, were killed when a Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government helicopter crashed due to bad weather during a relief mission.

The KP government has declared the severely affected mountainous districts of Buner, Bajaur, Mansehra and Battagram disaster-hit areas.

Another nine people were killed in Azad Kashmir, along with five in the Gilgit-Baltistan region, the National Disaster Management Authority said.

In Bajaur, a tribal district abutting Afghanistan, a crowd gathered around an excavator digging through a mud-soaked hill, AFP photos showed.

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," Azizullah, a resident of Buner district, where there have been dozens of deaths and injuries, told AFP. "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".

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, told AFP 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 KP 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 honours," 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 percent 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.

 

Reporters Hashir Warraich, Syed Nauman Shah, Ahmad Mansoor/Agencies

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