Flash floods in Pakistan’s northwest kill 11 as rains trigger landslides, house collapses

A rescue worker rows a raft while searching for survivors, after tourists, who were on a picnic, were swept away by overflowing floodwaters in the Swat River, in Swat Valley in Pakistan on June 27, 2025. (REUTERS)
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Updated 27 June 2025
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Flash floods in Pakistan’s northwest kill 11 as rains trigger landslides, house collapses

  • PDMA calls Swat the hardest hit area, where flooding, landslides and flash torrents killed 10 people
  • Pakistan is bracing for extreme monsoon season, ramping up efforts to deal with potential calamities

PESHAWAR: At least 11 people, including four children, were killed and six injured after flash floods and landslides triggered by monsoon rains swept through Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) over the past 24 hours, officials said on Friday.

According to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), heavy rains caused flooding in the Swat River near Khwazakhela, damaging homes and infrastructure in several areas.

Swat was the worst-affected district, where 10 of the 11 reported fatalities occurred.

“According to the PDMA’s preliminary report, a total of 11 people have died and six others were injured,” the authority said in a statement. “The deceased include four men, three women, and four children, while the injured include three men and three women.”




Residents gather, after tourists, who were on a picnic, were swept away by overflowing floodwaters in the Swat River, in Swat Valley in Pakistan on June 27, 2025. (REUTERS)

“Swat district was the hardest hit, where flooding, landslides and flash torrents killed 10 people and injured six,” it added. “A total of 56 homes were damaged in the affected areas, six of them completely and 50 partially.”

The PDMA statement said its Emergency Operations Center was active and coordinating with district administrations, rescue services and relevant departments.

Flood alerts have also been issued to district administrations in Nowshera and Charsadda in KP, with instructions to implement preemptive safety measures in anticipation of further rainfall.

The statement informed the PDMA has supplied 136 trucks of non-food relief goods to district authorities as part of its monsoon contingency plan.

These include tents, tarpaulins, kitchen sets, blankets, pillows and sleeping bags. An additional Rs450 million ($1.62 million) has been disbursed to local governments for immediate relief and compensation needs.

Monsoon rains in Pakistan often cause widespread flooding and damage, particularly in mountainous northern regions.

Earlier this week, Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) warned of heavy rains and flash floods in several parts of the country from June 26 till June 28.




A youngster rides his bicycle on a street during heavy rainfall, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, on June 27, 2025. (AP)

It advised residents in flood-prone areas, particularly near nullahs, low-lying zones and slopes, to remain alert and avoid unnecessary movement, calling on emergency services to ensure readiness for any potential incidents.

Pakistan is currently bracing for another extreme monsoon season and ramping up efforts to deal with any potential calamity.




Commuters make their way through a flooded street following heavy rainfall in Hyderabad, in Sindh province on June 27, 2025. (AFP)

In 2022, deadly floods brought by record monsoon rains and glacial melt killed over 1,700 people and impacted 33 million people in Pakistan. Raging currents swept away homes, vehicles, crops and livestock in damages estimated at $30 billion.


Pakistan urges Afghan rulers to ‘rid their soil of terrorists’ at regional meeting in Tehran

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Pakistan urges Afghan rulers to ‘rid their soil of terrorists’ at regional meeting in Tehran

  • Iran hosts meeting of special representatives on Afghanistan from Pakistan, China, Russia, Central Asian countries
  • Pakistan alleges militants use Afghan soil to launch attacks against it, charges the Afghan Taliban deny repeatedly

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s special envoy on Afghanistan Mohammad Sadiq urged rulers in Kabul on Sunday to rid their soil of “terrorists,” saying the move would inspire confidence in its neighbors to engage with the country.

Sadiq, who is Pakistan’s special representative to Afghanistan, was part of a high-level meeting hosted by Iran in Tehran to discuss issues related to Afghanistan. The meeting featured Afghan affairs representatives from Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, China and Russia, Iranian state news agency IRNA said. 

Pakistan blames a surge in attacks on its soil on militants it says are based in Afghanistan, a charge Kabul denies. The allegations have caused tensions between the neighbors to rise, resulting in deadly border clashes in October that saw dozens of soldiers killed on both sides. 

“It is imperative that the current de facto rulers [in Afghanistan] take steps to ameliorate their suffering,” Sadiq wrote on social media platform X. 

“And the foremost step in this regard would be to rid their soil indiscriminately of all types of terrorists.”

Sadiq said he agreed with other participating countries during the meeting that the “threat of terrorism” originating from Afghanistan’s soil is a “big challenge” for the region. 

“Also made this point that only an Afghanistan that does not harbor terrorists will inspire confidence in the neighboring and regional countries to meaningfully engage with Afghanistan, helping to realize the country’s immense economic and connectivity potential,” he concluded. 

Officials from Pakistan and Afghanistan engaged in three rounds of peace talks in Türkiye, Qatar and Saudi Arabia since the October clashes but were unable to reach an agreement. 

While Pakistan has vowed it would go after militants in Afghanistan that threaten it, Kabul has said it would retaliate to any act of aggression from Islamabad.