ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday commended the driver of an excavator who rescued a family stuck in a flash flood in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province last month, awarding him a cash prize of $15,500 and announcing free health care and educational facilities for his family.
The incident took place in the Qilla Abdullah district of the province, with videos of the rescue effort going viral on social media, showing a white jeep stranded in a flash flood as many bystanders watched from a safe place nearby. An orange excavator then entered the flood waters and lifted the vehicle to safety. The excavator was being driven by Balochistan resident Muhib Ullah Kakar.
Rain disasters this monsoon season have killed at least 320 people across Pakistan, including 34 in Balochistan.
“PM Sharif welcomes excavator driver Muhib Ullah Kakar who saved people trapped in a flash flood in the Qilla Abdullah district by risking his life,” the PM Office said in a statement on Wednesday. “The PM also announced the provision of free education for Kakar’s children and free health facilities for his family.”

Kakar said it was an honor to meet the prime minister.
“At the time of saving people’s lives, I did not think that this (rescue effort) would become famous throughout the country,” he said. “I am grateful for the PM and his government for taking out their valuable time for me.”
Scientists and weather forecasters have blamed climate change for heavier rains in Pakistan in recent years.
In 2022, climate-induced downpours inundated one-third of Pakistan, killing over 1,700 people and causing $30 billion in economic damages.