Entire villages have been wiped out and mass burials are taking place as flash floods wreak havoc across Pakistan, leaving at least 340 people dead and hundreds missing.
Rescue teams continued to dig through mud and debris after flash floods triggered by days of heavy monsoon rainfall claimed the lives of at least 344 people in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan within 48 hours, officials said, according to the Express Tribune. According to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), 324 deaths has been recorded in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, while additional fatalities were reported in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) and Pakistan occupied Gilgit-Baltistan (PoGB). At least 137 people sustained injuries as houses collapsed and floodwaters swept away residents, livestock and vehicles, reported the Express Tribune.
Six districts including, Buner, Bajaur, Swat, Shangla, Mansehra and Battagram have been declared disaster-hit. Thousands of homes were destroyed, while major roads, bridges and link routes were washed away, complicating relief and rescue work. Torrential rains across the country have caused flooding, rising waters and landslides that have swept away entire villages and left many residents trapped in the rubble.
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“We saw all the houses, buildings, and vehicles being swept away like pieces of wood. We managed to climb up the mountain, and when we looked down, our home was gone,” said Suleman Khan, a schoolteacher in Buner district who lost 25 relatives.
“They could be trapped under the rubble of their homes or swept away by floodwaters,” said Asfandyar Khattak, head of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Provincial Disaster Management Authority.
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Flooded roads also hampered the movement of rescue vehicles, as a few villagers worked to cut fallen trees to clear the way after the water receded.
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Mass funerals
On Saturday, hundreds gathered for mass funerals, where bodies wrapped in blood-stained white shawls were laid out on the village ground. Fallen trees and straw debris were scattered across nearby fields, while residents shovelled mud out of their homes.
657 people killed in rain-related incidents since June 26
At least 657 people, including 392 men, have died due to rain-related incidents across Pakistan since June 26, while 929 others have been injured, according to Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), ARY News reported on Monday. Of the total fatalities, 171 were children and 94 were women. Among the injured, 437 were men, 256 children, and 236 women.
The NDMA said the casualties were caused by torrential monsoon rains, flash floods, and related hazards, adding that it was coordinating with provincial authorities to intensify relief and rescue operations in the worst-hit areas.
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province has suffered the heaviest losses, with 390 deaths. Pakistan’s Punjab has recorded 164 deaths since June 26, with children forming the largest share of victims.
Pakistan is one of the world’s most vulnerable countries to the effects of climate change and is contending with extreme weather events with increasing frequency.
Monsoon floods in 2022 submerged a third of the country and killed around 1,700 people.
(With inputs from Agencies)