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• Torrential monsoon rains have triggered floods and landslides across Pakistan, killing nearly 800 people since late June.
• Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was hit hardest, with authorities warning of more rain as rescue teams struggle to reach affected districts.
In less than two weeks, the death toll has now passed 460 in Pakistan. 13 people were killed and dozens injured on Sunday after new monsoon rains triggered flash floods and landslides in northern Pakistan. The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) confirmed that casualties were recorded across several districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the province worst hit by the disaster.
Raza Narejo, the acting director of Islamic Relief Pakistan, stated, “While the flood waters are now receding, the consequences are significant and will impact the community for an extended period. The most vulnerable populations have seen their jobs and incomes devastated almost instantly, with 60 per cent of workers in the Buner district now unable to support themselves following the floods,”
According to PDMA figures, “some 406 people have been killed across KP province since Aug. 15; of them, 337 were killed in the Buner district, which bore the main impact of massive rains and floods.” Other provinces — Sindh, Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir — have also reported more than 60 deaths.
On Wednesday, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) stated: “Ongoing heavy rains and flooding have claimed 43 more lives in Pakistan in just 24 hours, raising the death toll since Aug. 14 to 437.” The breakdown included 21 deaths in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 11 in Sindh and 11 in Gilgit-Baltistan.
Rescue officials said: “At least eight casualties were reported from Dera Ismail Khan over the past 24 hours, whereas three children were killed when the roof of their home collapsed in remote Dir district, which sits near the Afghanistan border.” They added that 40 people were injured in Dera Ismail Khan as heavy rain and strong winds battered the district.
The NDMA further warned: “Heavy rains and flooding continue to batter the hilly areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, with authorities warning that this new spell of rain will persist until Thursday.” Karachi also saw severe disruption, as downpours damaged infrastructure in the country’s main commercial hub.
Search and rescue efforts are ongoing. Authorities confirmed that “search and relief operations are ongoing in the Buner, Swat and Swabi districts, where authorities say dozens remain missing.” Buner has been the worst hit, with “six more bodies recovered from the rubble, raising the death toll to 228 since last Friday.”
In total, “since the onset of this year’s monsoon season in late June, around 748 people have reportedly been killed and over 1,000 injured across Pakistan.”
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, along with cabinet members and the army chief, visited disaster-hit areas in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The Prime Minister’s Office said: “Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, accompanied by Cabinet members and the army chief, visited flood-hit areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and met with affected families.”
Officials earlier reported that “torrential rains flanked by cloud bursts and flash floods continued to batter Pakistan on Tuesday, killing more than 400 people over the past five days.” The PDMA noted: “A majority of casualties have been reported from several districts of northwestern province, where 352 people have lost their lives in flood-related accidents since Aug. 14.”
The scale of destruction is immense. The PDMA reported 780 houses damaged, including 349 completely destroyed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Information Minister Attaullah Tarar added: “More than 25,000 people have been evacuated from affected areas and more than 1,000 people have been admitted to hospitals.”
The NDMA confirmed that “around 800 people have been killed in rain- and flood-related accidents across the country since late June.”
Pakistan is facing one of its most devastating monsoon seasons in years. Meteorologists have forecast more rain over the next 24 to 48 hours, raising fears of further loss and destruction.
