Flash floods hit Buner hardest as death toll in northern areas surges to over 340

The death toll from recent flash floods in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa surged to 327 on Saturday as various districts, especially hard-hit Buner, reported more loss of lives, the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) said on Saturday.

This adds to the casualties in Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir, where the unprecedented floods have claimed at least 12 and nine lives, respectively, besides causing widespread destruction.

KP witnessed devastating scenes yesterday as flash floods caused by heavy rainfall and cloudbursts in multiple districts claimed over 200 lives in a day, including five crew members of a provincial government chopper that crashed in Mohmand during relief and rescue efforts.

Buner was the worst-affected district in the province with 204 lives lost in the past 48 hours, according to a PDMA situation report. It added that 120 people were injured, while Deputy Commissioner Kashif Qayum Khan’s office reported that 50 were still missing.

According to a PDMA report seen by media.com earlier today, Shangla reported 36 deaths, Mansehra 23, Swat 22, Bajaur 21, Battagram 15, Lower Dir five and a child drowned in Abbottabad.

Detailing infrastructure damage, the report said 11 houses were destroyed while 63 were partially damaged due to the floods. Two schools in Swat and another in Shangla were also affected.

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

The KP government released Rs1 billion in funds to the PDMA for “timely compensation/preparedness and response to cope with any untoward situation”, a notification shared by it on X said.

It also allocated over Rs1.55bn worth of funds for its Communication and Works Department for the restoration of highways and bridges in the flood-affected districts.

On the directives of Governor Faisal Karim Kundi, the Pakistan Red Crescent in KP set up an Emergency Relief Centre to assist flood-affected districts. It can be contacted on 0300-5849255 (secretary), 0334-9086169 (admin officer), 091-9333666, or 091-2590846.

In a statement on X, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said he was “deeply anguished by the devastation caused by cloudbursts and flash floods in KP and northern Pakistan”.

Extending his heartfelt condolences and expressing solidarity, he affirmed: “The government is mobilising all resources for rescue and relief operations.”

The premier added that he met with National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Chairman Lt Gen Inam Haider Malik and directed him to “expedite rescue operations in the nine affected districts of Swat, Buner, Bajaur, Torghar, Mansehra, Shangla, and Battagram, with urgent focus on Bajaur and Battagram”.

“Immediate relief is being provided to stranded residents, medical aid to the injured, and heavy machinery has been deployed to clear roads and restore connectivity,” PM Shehbaz said.

Buner Police’s public relations officer Israr Khan, put the district’s death toll at 207, compared to the 204 stated by the PDMA.

DC Qayum, in a statement, ordered a ban on the entry of private vehicles into Buner, stating that it was hindering rescue and relief work.

PTI interim chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, who is an MNA from Buner, and MPA Riaz Khan visited the flood-hit area of Bashonai and met the bereaved families who lost their loved ones in the floods, the KP government said.

As the nation observed a day of mourning for the five crew members who died in a helicopter crash during rescue efforts, the national flag flew at half-mast at Governor House in Peshawar.

Tourists trapped in GB’s Naltar Valley: govt

Meanwhile, GB government spokesperson Faizullah Faraq said a “great number of tourists” were trapped in the Naltar Valley as the land route was disconnected after floodwaters washed away a huge chunk of the Naltar Expressway.

In his statement, the official said the power supply in the area had been suspended as the three power plants situated there were shut down due to the floods.

According to Faraq, river waters from the Jaglot Goro stream entered several houses and restaurants in low-lying areas.

Rescue efforts continue but face challenges

The KP PDMA told AFP that around 2,000 rescue workers were engaged in recovering bodies from the debris and carrying out relief operations in nine affected districts.

Rescue 1122 Director General Muhammad Tayyab Abdullah told media.com that an elite rescue squad of 80 individuals has been formed for areas where operations are facing “intense difficulty”.

“In the past 12 hours, 3,542 emergencies have been responded to, while 76 vehicles are taking part in the rescue operations,” he detailed.

DG Abdullah noted that the teams were facing challenges in their activities because of ruined roads, while people were also not able to contact helplines due to damaged mobile towers.

Similarly, KP Rescue 1122 spokesperson Bilal Ahmed Faizi told AFP: “Heavy rainfall, landslides in several areas, and washed-out roads are causing significant challenges in delivering aid, particularly in transporting heavy machinery and ambulances.

“Due to road closures in most areas, rescue workers are travelling on foot to conduct operations in remote regions,” he highlighted.

“They are trying to evacuate survivors, but very few people are relocating due to the deaths of their relatives or loved ones being trapped in the debris.”

A statement issued by Buner’s Rescue 1122 said DG Abdullah, Buner Operations Director Mir Alam, North Region Operations Director Arshad Iqbal and the district emergency officer were supervising the operation themselves.

The Rescue DG urged the public not to go near floodwaters, rainwater drains or bridges, and contact the 1122 helpline in the case of an emergency.

In Battagram, two more bodies were recovered at the Malkal Gali-Neel Band village, which had been impacted by a cloudburst on early Thursday, according to Assistant Commissioner Muhammad Saleem Khan.

The rescue operations had resumed at 6am after being suspended at 7:30pm yesterday due to nightfall and the challenging terrain.

Flash floods also severely impacted the power infrastructure in Swat, as floodwaters entered the 132KV Swat grid station, causing the tripping of 41 feeders and the complete suspension of electric supply across the region.

The KP PDMA has said rainfall would continue until August 21 in different parts of the province.

The Pakistan Meteoro­logical Department (PMD) has also warned the Balochistan government to take emergency measures to prepare for a new spell of monsoon rains in the province, which will start from Aug 18 and continue until Aug 22.

Additional input from AFP