������Ƶ

BUNER: Pakistani rescuers dug homes out from under massive boulders on Sunday as they searched for survivors of flash floods that killed at least 344 people, with more than 150 still missing.

Since Thursday, torrential rains across the country have caused flooding, rising waters and landslides that have swept away entire villages and left many residents trapped in the rubble.

Most of the deaths, 317, were reported in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where monsoon rains that are only expected to intensify in the days ahead drove flooding and landslides that collapsed houses.

More than 150 people are missing in hardest-hit Buner district, where at least 208 people were killed and “10 to 12 entire villages” were partially buried, officials told AFP.

“They could be trapped under the rubble of their homes or swept away by floodwaters,” said Asfandyar Khattak, head of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Provincial Disaster Management Authority.

“Separately, in Shangla district, dozens of people are also reported missing,” Khattak added.

“There is no electricity or mobile signal in Buner, as power lines and mobile towers were damaged,” he added.

The spokesman for the province’s rescue agency told AFP that around 2,000 rescue workers were involved across nine districts, where rain was still hampering efforts.

“The operation to rescue people trapped under debris is ongoing,” said Bilal Ahmad Faizi.

“The chances of those buried under the debris surviving are very slim,” he added.

AFP journalists in Buner saw half-buried vehicles and belongings lying strewn in the sludge, with mud covering houses and shops.

A grave digger, Qaiser Ali Shah, told AFP he dug 29 burial places in the last two days.

“I have also dug six graves for children. With each grave, it felt as though I was digging it for my own child,” he told AFP.

“For the first time, my body simply refused to carry me through. That’s why today I apologized and said I cannot do this work anymore.”

Flooded roads hampered the movement of rescue vehicles, as a few villagers worked to cut fallen trees to clear the way after the water receded.

“Our belongings are scattered, ruined and are in bad shape,” shopkeeper Noor Muhammad told AFP as he used a shovel to remove mud.

“The shops have been destroyed along with everything else. Even the little money people had has been washed away,” he added.

The provincial government has declared the severely affected mountainous districts of Buner, Bajaur, Swat, Shangla, Mansehra and Battagram as disaster-hit areas.

“We were trapped in our homes and could not get out,” another Buner resident, Syed Wahab Bacha, told AFP.

“Our entire poor community has been affected... This road was our only path, and it too has been washed away,” he added.

On Saturday, hundreds gathered for mass funerals, where bodies wrapped in blood-stained white shawls were laid out on the village ground.

Fallen trees and straw debris were scattered across nearby fields, while residents shovelled mud out of their homes.

Pakistan’s meteorological department has forecast “torrential rains” with monsoon activity “likely to intensify” from Sunday onwards.

The monsoon season brings South Asia about three-quarters of its annual rainfall, vital for agriculture and food security, but also brings destruction.

“The intensity of this year’s monsoon is around 50 to 60 percent more than last year,” said Lt. Gen. Inam Haider, chairman of the national disaster agency.

“Two to three more monsoon spells are expected until the first weeks of September,” he told journalists in Islamabad.

Landslides and flash floods are common during the season, which usually begins in June and eases by the end of September.

The torrential rains that have pounded Pakistan since the start of the summer monsoon have killed more than 650 people, with more than 920 injured.

Pakistan is one of the world’s most vulnerable countries to the effects of climate change and is contending with extreme weather events with increasing frequency.

Monsoon floods in 2022 submerged a third of the country and killed around 1,700 people.

Another villager in Buner told AFP on Saturday that residents had spent the night searching through the rubble of their former homes.

“The entire area is reeling from profound trauma,” said 32-year-old schoolteacher Saifullah Khan.

“I helped retrieve the bodies of the children I taught. I keep wondering what kind of trial nature has imposed on these kids,” he said.

ISLAMABAD: An official of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) warned on Sunday that Pakistan may face floods “of the same scale” as those witnessed in 2022, saying the country was likely to experience three more monsoon rain spells till Sept. 10. 

Monsoon rains have wreaked havoc in Pakistan’s northern areas, especially its Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, where floods and landslides have killed over 312 people since Aug. 15, as per official figures.

As per the NDMA’s report, Pakistan’s cumulative death toll since Jun. 26 from rain-related incidents has surged to 645. KP has reported the highest number of deaths at 383, followed by Punjab with 164, the northern Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) and Sindh with 28 deaths each, Balochistan 29, Azad Kashmir 14 and Islamabad eight casualties. 

The devastation is a grim reminder of the cataclysmic floods of June 2022, where unusually heavy rains and the melting of glaciers triggered flash floods in several parts of the country. Pakistan reported at least 1,700 people dead and losses of over $30 billion, with large swathes of crops and critical infrastructure damaged by raging waters.

“Although the 2022 floods had a different pattern, the ongoing cloudbursts and heavy monsoon spells this year suggest that a similar flood situation cannot be ruled out,” Muhammad Idrees Mehsud, a member of the NDMA’s Disaster Risk Reduction unit, told reporters during a media briefing in Islamabad. 

He said the climate change phenomenon was getting worse in Pakistan with every passing year. Mehsud added that with consistent heavy rains expected to continue over the coming weeks, “the country may face floods of the same scale as 2022.”

NDMA Chairman Lt. Gen. Inam Haider Malik noted that Pakistan was receiving 50 to 60 percent more rain this year compared to 2024. 

“The current speed which started today will continue till Aug. 23 and two to three more spells are expected till Sept. 10,” Malik said.

Raging hill torrents swept away dozens of people in KP’s Swat, Buner, Bajaur, Torghar, Mansehra, Shangla and Battagram districts since Friday. Malik said efforts were underway to restore communication with flood-affected regions, while the country’s armed forces were supporting stranded citizens. 

Rescuers, backed by boats and helicopters, have been working for hours in KP during the last three days to save stranded residents and tourists as ambulances transported bodies to hospitals.

The NDMA on Saturday issued an advisory to limit tourism in mountainous areas. Separately, the KP administration declared an emergency in districts affected by rains and flash floods.

“On the prime minister’s directives, relief packages are being dispatched to the worst-affected areas, while more relief will be dispatched and the search for missing persons is continuously underway,” Malik said.

He highlighted that heavy rains and floods have caused widespread destruction in Buner, Bajaur, and Battagram districts of KP. 

The NDMA chief said Babusar area in the northern GB region was severely impacted by the monsoon rains, adding that losses inflicted by rains in the KP province were being assessed. 

“After the monsoon, the government will assess the destruction and will compensate losses and also build infrastructure in close coordination with provincial authorities,” he added. 

RAINS TO ‘INTENSIFY’ FROM AUG. 17

Earlier, the NDMA said a low-pressure system (LPA) over the Bay of Bengal is likely to move westward from Aug. 17 and intensify the ongoing monsoon activity. A westerly wave is also present over the country under the influence of these meteorological conditions, it said. 

Malik said northern Punjab and northern KP would likely face more intense rains in the coming days.

“We are trying to vacate the areas where flash floods are expected in the coming days,” he said. 

The NDMA official said ������Ƶ, Türkiye, Iran, Azerbaijan, Russia and other countries contacted Pakistan to offer assistance in relief efforts.

Pakistan, which contributes less than 1 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, is among the countries most vulnerable to climate change.

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 KP and GB.