More than 300 people are dead in northwest Pakistan after two days of intense downpour and floods, local officials said on Saturday.
Rescue activities and road cleaning were underway with the release of emergency funds, they said, adding that the heavy rains will last until August 21.
Cloudbursts, flash floods, lightning strikes, landslides, and building collapses contributed to the most deadly period of this year’s monsoon season.
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According to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority, 307 people had been confirmed dead as of early Saturday, with many still missing in the hills and mountains of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Severe rains, flooding, and other rain-related disasters have wreaked havoc not only on Pakistan but also on neighbouring India and Nepal over the last week.
Buner district, which is normally a three-and-a-half-hour drive north of Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, was one of the most impacted, with 184 people killed and severe damage to infrastructure, crops, and orchards, according to local officials. A cloudburst, fallen trees, and flash floods washed away people and belongings.
People, including women and children, were trapped by flooding in some areas of Buner, and 93 dead were found. He added that local officials had been dispatched to the flooded areas to supervise relief operations and assess the damage.
Medical camps, he said, were being established for the flood victims, along with arrangements for families who lost their homes to be provided with cooked meals. Shah said that heavy machinery would be deployed to clear and restore roads.
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Ishaq Dar, the deputy prime minister and foreign minister, said that civilian and military teams were carrying out rescue and relief operations, while the prime minister had chaired an emergency meeting.
“Our hearts go out to the families who have lost loved ones, to those who are injured, and to the many whose homes and livelihoods have been swept away,” Dar said in a statement on social media.
On Friday, a rescue helicopter had crashed due to bad weather, killing the five crew members.
