By Staff Reporter
PESHAWAR: Torrential rains and flash floods killed at least 189 people in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province and eight in Gilgit-Baltistan over the past 24 hours, officials said Friday, as a government helicopter carrying relief supplies crashed in bad weather, killing all five crew members.
The deluge, battering the region since late June, triggered deadly floods, landslides, and widespread destruction, sweeping away homes, disrupting communications, and crippling electricity across vulnerable, densely populated areas. Authorities warned the death toll could rise as rescue operations struggle to reach isolated communities.
“In the last 24 hours, 189 people have died and 21 have been injured in different incidents caused by heavy rains and flash floods,” the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) said in a preliminary report on KP. “Among the dead are 163 men, 14 women, and 12 children, while the injured include 18 men, two women, and one child.”
The PDMA reported 45 houses damaged, 38 partially and seven completely destroyed, across Swat, Buner, Bajaur, Torghar, Upper and Lower Dir, Mansehra, Shangla, and Battagram districts. “The most affected districts are Buner, Bajaur, and Battagram, where rescue operations are still ongoing,” the authority said, adding that two helicopters were dispatched to Bajaur and Buner for rescue efforts. It warned that heavy rains would persist intermittently until August 21 and urged district administrations to take precautions.
In Buner, one of the hardest-hit areas, Deputy Commissioner Kashif Qayum Khan reported 78 deaths, including 75 men, two women, and one child, with several others missing. “An emergency has been declared across the district as relief efforts continue,” Khan told reporters. Floodwaters submerged Pir Baba Bazaar, destroyed a mosque in Gokand, and killed large numbers of livestock, he said, noting that blocked roads and poor mobile network coverage were hampering efforts. “The exact number of missing persons has yet to be confirmed,” he added.
A government MI-17 helicopter carrying relief supplies to Bajaur crashed Friday in KP’s Changi Banda area, killing all five passengers, including two pilots, due to bad weather, the KP government confirmed. “As a result of this tragic accident, five passengers, including two pilots, were martyred,” Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur said, declaring a day of mourning on Saturday with flags at half-mast. “Rescue teams have been dispatched to the crash site, and the martyrs will be buried with full honours.”
Across KP’s Malakand Division, Bajaur reported 21 deaths, including eight children, and eight injuries from flash floods, the PDMA said. Lightning strikes in Battagram claimed 15 lives, while flooding in Mansehra killed 14 and injured two. Swat recorded 11 deaths from floods and lightning, and roof collapses in Lower Dir and Shangla killed seven and injured five.
Rescue 1122, a provincial emergency service, recovered 157 bodies and rescued over 100 people, including women and children, said media coordinator Muhammad Sohail. “The situation is at its worst, and rescue operations are continuing,” he said, citing challenges from intermittent rain and disrupted communications.
In Buner, entire villages have been obliterated. “Entire villages have been wiped out, roads are gone, and infrastructure is destroyed,” said Barrister Gohar Khan, chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, which governs KP. He confirmed a state of emergency in Buner, with hospitals on high alert. “Our focus is on search and rescue, but helicopters will be essential to reach several locations,” Khan said, urging federal and provincial authorities to act swiftly. “This is not a time for politics.”
In Swat, floodwaters inundated a 132KV grid station, cutting electricity to 41 feeders, the Peshawar Electricity Supply Company (PESCO) said. Sixteen poles supplying Malam Jabba were washed away, and fallen trees damaged transmission lines. PESCO deployed extra staff and set up a control room to manage restoration efforts.
The Pakistan Army launched large-scale relief operations in Swat and Bajaur, evacuating residents and airlifting stranded individuals. Food and medicines are being delivered by air. In Bajaur’s Salarzai tehsil, a cloudburst killed 16 and left seven missing, said Rescue 1122 spokesperson Bilal Ahmad Faizi. “Rescue 1122 personnel, with residents’ cooperation, have recovered 16 bodies and rescued three injured,” he said.
In Gilgit-Baltistan, flash floods killed 11 in Ghizer district and ravaged villages in Skardu, Kharmang, and Shigar, blocking roads to Shandur and Deosai. In Azad Jammu and Kashmir, a landslide in Muzaffarabad’s Sarli Sacha village buried six family members, and two women died in Bagh and Sudhnoti.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed grief and ordered accelerated rescue efforts in Battagram, where lightning destroyed five houses in Neel Band village, Assistant Commissioner Muhammad Saleem Khan said. KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi said an emergency declaration was under consideration.
The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said relief operations, involving the army, PDMA, Rescue 1122, and volunteers, were ongoing. “All departments are ensuring preparedness to respond to any emergency situation,” it said, urging residents to take safety measures.
The Meteorological Department forecast heavy rains in Islamabad, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Upper Punjab, KP, and Gilgit-Baltistan, with Sindh, including Karachi, expecting rainfall from August 18 to 23. India’s release of water into the Chenab River prompted a flood alert for Punjab’s rivers, with a high-level threat for the Jhelum River.
Pakistan, contributing less than one percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, is highly vulnerable to climate change. Nationwide deaths since the monsoon began in late June have exceeded 460, according to an Arab News tally, recalling the 2022 floods that killed over 1,700 and caused $30 billion in damages. Scientists say rising temperatures are intensifying South Asia’s monsoon, increasing risks of flash floods and landslides in mountainous regions like KP and Gilgit-Baltistan.
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