Pakistan ramps up rescue efforts after floods kill over 200 in one district

BUNER, AUGUST 17 – Rescue teams in northwestern Pakistan stepped up relief efforts Sunday after flash floods killed more than 220 people in Buner district. The mountainous district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province was hit by heavy monsoon rains and sudden cloudbursts on Friday, causing flash floods and landslides.

Mohammad Sohail, a spokesman for emergency services in Buner, said that more than half of the damaged roads have been reopened, allowing vehicles and heavy machinery to reach remote villages. Crews are clearing rocks, mud, and debris from collapsed homes, as families search for missing relatives.

In one of the deadliest incidents, 24 members of a single family died in Qadar Nagar when floodwaters swept through their home just before a wedding. Umar Khan, the head of the family, survived because he was out at the time, but four relatives are still missing.

Provincial Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur visited Buner on Saturday and announced that families of the victims will receive 2 million rupees (about $7,200) each. He also said that tents, food, and clean drinking water are being provided to prevent outbreaks of waterborne diseases.

According to a government statement, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is closely monitoring relief operations and has ordered faster aid distribution, evacuation of stranded people, and intensified searches for the missing.

Pakistan’s disaster management authority has warned of more heavy rains and possible landslides from August 17–19, urging local authorities to stay alert. Since June 26, higher-than-normal monsoon rains have killed more than 600 people in the country.

Pakistan is highly prone to climate-related disasters. In 2022, record-breaking monsoon rains killed nearly 1,700 people and destroyed millions of homes. Flash floods and landslides are common during the monsoon season (June to September), especially in the northwest, where many villages are built on steep slopes and riverbanks. Experts say climate change is making these extreme weather events more frequent and severe.

In Indian-administered Kashmir, heavy rains also caused flash floods in Kathua district, killing at least seven people and injuring five. Rescue and relief operations are ongoing. In Kishtwar district, teams are searching the remote village of Chositi for dozens of missing people after flash floods struck three days ago, killing at least 60 and injuring around 150, about 50 of them critically. The floods occurred during an annual Hindu pilgrimage, prompting authorities to rescue over 300 people and evacuate about 4,000 pilgrims to safety.

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