KHAPLU/ISLAMABAD: The death toll from heavy rains, flash floods and landslides in Pakistan’s northern regions rose to at least 51 on Friday, according to figures for the last 24 hours from disaster authorities, taking nationwide deaths to over 360 since the monsoon season began in late June.
The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) said 43 people had died and 14 were injured in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, mostly in Bajaur and Battagram districts.
“Among the deceased are 33 men, 2 women, and 8 children, while the injured include 11 men, 2 women, and 1 child,” the PDMA said, giving a breakdown of the 43 deaths.
“A total of 30 houses have been damaged due to rains and flash floods, of which 25 were partially damaged and 5 completely destroyed.”
The authority added that the worst affected districts due to heavy rains and flash floods were Bajaur and Battagram, where rescue operations were still ongoing.
Earlier, Amjad Khan, the Bajaur district emergency officer, said rescuers had recovered 16 bodies from the remote Jabarai village after a cloudburst-triggered flood swept the area overnight.
Separately in Gilgit-Baltistan, local officials confirmed eight more deaths in Ghizer and Diamer districts after homes were swept away by landslides and floods in the last 24 hours.
“Six people were buried under the debris of flood in Khalti village of Ghizer … while another five people were injured,” Tahir Shah, a senior Rescue 1122 official, told Arab News.
Two more deaths were reported from Ishkoman Valley and Diamer.
The floods blocked the Karakoram Highway in GB’s Upper Hunza and multiple other roads, while the PDMA has warned that the current spell of heavy rains is expected to continue until Aug. 21.
“PDMA, all relevant institutions, relief teams, district administration and Rescue 1122 are in contact and monitoring the situation,” DG PDMA said.
Pakistan, which contributes less than 1 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, has faced repeated climate-induced disasters and is one of the most vulnerable nations to climate change.
The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) had put the nationwide monsoon death toll at more than 313 last week, a figure that has risen with the fresh fatalities reported in the last 24 hours.
