PESHAWAR: At least 189 people were killed in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province and eight in Gilgit-Baltistan over the past 24 hours as rains and floods triggered multiple incidents, while a government helicopter carrying relief goods crashed in bad weather, killing five crew members, officials said on Friday.
Pakistan, which contributes less than 1 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, is among the countries most vulnerable to climate change. Nationwide deaths since this year’s monsoon season began in late June have crossed 460, according to an Arab News tally, evoking memories of 2022 when catastrophic monsoon rains and glacial melt submerged a third of the country, killing more than 1,700 people and causing over $30 billion in damages.
Scientists say rising temperatures are making South Asia’s monsoon rains more erratic and intense, increasing the risk of flash floods and landslides in mountainous regions like Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan.
“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 its preliminary report about the situation in KP province.
“Among the dead are 163 men, 14 women and 12 children, while the injured include 18 men, two women and one child.”
The authority said 45 houses were damaged, including 38 partially and seven completely destroyed. The incidents were reported in Swat, Buner, Bajaur, Torghar, Upper and Lower Dir, Mansehra, Shangla and Battagram districts.
“The most affected districts due to heavy rains and flash floods are Buner, Bajaur and Battagram, where rescue operations are still ongoing,” the PDMA said. “Two helicopters have been dispatched to Bajaur and Buner for rescue operations.”
Later, the KP administration confirmed in an official statement that “a provincial government MI-17 helicopter carrying relief goods for rain-affected areas of Bajaur crashed due to bad weather.”
“As a result of this tragic accident, five crew members, including two pilots, were martyred,” Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur said in a statement.
Gandapur announced a day of mourning on Saturday, with the national flag to be flown at half-mast across the province.
Relief teams have been dispatched to the crash site and the bodies of the martyrs will be laid to rest with full state honors.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif convened an emergency meeting to review the flood situation, directing the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) to provide the KP administration with all necessary support in rescue and relief operations.
He "directed that tents, medicines, food items and other relief supplies be delivered immediately to the province," according to a statement released by his office.
He also instructed that people and tourists stranded in flood-affected areas must be moved to safe locations immediately.
Earlier, the PDMA warned that the current spell of heavy rains was expected to continue intermittently until August 21 and directed all district administrations to take precautionary measures.
“PDMA, all relevant institutions, relief teams, district administration and Rescue 1122 are in contact and monitoring the situation,” the statement added.
Separately, officials in the mountainous Gilgit-Baltistan region confirmed eight deaths in Ghizer and Diamer districts after homes were swept away by floods and landslides.
