Cloud burst, Pakistan floods and landslides kill over 200 as monsoon rains wreak havoc
Torrential monsoon rains and flash floods have killed at least 200 people in Pakistan since Thursday, officials confirmed, with the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa bearing the brunt of the disaster. The Urdu service of a news agency, reported that the districts of Buner, Bajaur, and Battagram have been the worst affected. Continuous downpours triggered landslides, swept away homes, and stranded thousands in remote mountain valleys. Helicopter crash during relief mission In one of the most tragic incidents, a military Mi-17 helicopter carrying relief supplies to Bajaur’s Salarzai area crashed in bad weather, killing all five onboard — including two pilots. Provincial disaster management authorities said the aircraft had been assigned to deliver aid to areas cut off by flooding. Whole family killed as houses collapse Authorities in Buner’s Gadezi tehsil reported that 120 people died in that subdistrict alone. In Chagarzai tehsil, an entire family of 22 perished when their home was buried in a landslide. Officials fear many more remain trapped under debris in Higukand and Pir Baba, where floodwaters have engulfed entire neighbourhoods. Al Madina Hotel, a popular local lodging, was completely swept away. The Buner Deputy Commissioner’s office confirmed that while 157 bodies have been recovered, only 78 could be brought to hospitals so far due to road blockages and ongoing landslides. State of emergency under consideration Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif convened a high-level meeting to review rescue and relief operations. Sources in his office indicated that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa could soon be declared a “disaster-hit zone.” Provincial data shows 189 deaths in the past 24 hours alone — including 163 men, 14 women, and 12 children. In Pakistan-administered Kashmir, at least eight people were killed in landslides, while nearly 500 tourists remain stranded in the Neelum and Jhelum valleys. India’s Jammu and Kashmir also hit Across the border, India’s Jammu and Kashmir reported its own tragedy. In Kishtwar district, cloudbursts and landslides on Thursday killed at least 48 people and injured more than 100. Officials warned the toll could rise as rescue teams, including the army and national disaster response forces, search for the missing in treacherous terrain. Heavy monsoon rains, which typically run from June to September, are becoming more intense in South Asia due to climate change, experts say, making floods and landslides deadlier and more frequent.
Nurse found dead at West Bengal nursing home sparks political protests
A 24-year-old nurse has been found dead at a nursing home in West Bengal’s Hooghly district, triggering protests and demands for a full investigation. Police said the woman’s body was discovered on Thursday, hanging from the ceiling of a room on the third floor of the facility in Singur. She had joined the nursing home only four days earlier and was a resident of Nandigram in Purba Medinipur district. Her family alleged she was raped and murdered after uncovering irregularities in the running of the nursing home. They also accused police of taking her body for post-mortem examination without informing them. The nursing home’s management has denied the allegations, claiming she died by suicide. The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) held demonstrations in the area, accusing the authorities of a cover-up. On Friday, BJP state women’s wing president Falguni Patra joined a protest at Serampore Walsh Hospital, where the body is being kept. State minister and local Trinamool Congress MLA Becharam Manna said action would be taken if police found evidence of foul play. Police have opened an investigation and said they were awaiting the autopsy report before proceeding further.
Burglars Strike Former Swimmer Bula Chowdhury’s Ancestral Home in West Bengal
Burglars have broken into the ancestral home of Padma Shri award-winning former swimmer Bula Chowdhury in Hindmotor’s Debaipukur Road, West Bengal, police said on Friday. The house, which Chowdhury and her family no longer occupy, is mostly vacant and is looked after by her brother, Milan Chowdhury. Milan told local media he discovered a broken rear gate when he visited the property to clean ahead of upcoming festivities. Medals, mementos, bathroom fixtures, and religious items were reported stolen. Chowdhury’s Padma Shri award was not taken, as she keeps it in her Kolkata apartment. “It is painful that medals are being stolen. They have no market value, but they are my life’s achievements,” Chowdhury told the Press. Police from Uttarpara station, led by Inspector-in-Charge Amitava Sanyal, visited the scene. Chowdhury said the same house was burgled about five to six years ago, but no significant recovery was made at that time. No arrests have been made.
Portion of Delhi’s Iconic Humayun’s Tomb Collapses, Killing at Least Five
A section of the 16th-century Humayun’s Tomb — widely regarded by archaeologists as the first major example of Mughal architecture in India — collapsed suddenly on Friday afternoon, leaving at least five people dead and several others trapped under debris. The incident occurred around 4:30pm at the UNESCO World Heritage Site in southeast Delhi’s Nizamuddin East, when part of a dome gave way, according to police. Witnesses said between eight and nine people were caught beneath the rubble, with rescue teams still searching for survivors. Delhi Fire Services told the Press that five bodies have been recovered so far, while fears remain that more victims are buried. Five fire engines and multiple disaster response units were deployed to the site. The collapse happened on a public holiday, when the 450-year-old monument was teeming with visitors. “There were a lot of tourists inside at the time,” a police official told reporters. Humayun’s Tomb, commissioned in 1562 by Hamida Banu Begum — the widow of the Mughal emperor — and designed by Persian architect Mirza Ghiyas, is celebrated as the first garden-tomb in the Mughal tradition. The red sandstone mausoleum not only influenced later Mughal structures, including the Taj Mahal, but also stands as a symbol of the dynasty’s cultural and architectural legacy. The tomb houses the remains of Emperor Humayun, who ruled in two separate stints during the turbulent early years of the Mughal Empire. The emperor’s reign was interrupted after he lost Delhi to Afghan ruler Sher Shah Suri, forcing him into exile. Humayun eventually regained the throne but died in 1556, just a year after his return. India’s Archaeological Survey, which manages the site, has not yet commented on the cause of the collapse. Conservationists have long warned that climate stress, urban pollution, and maintenance lapses could threaten the structural integrity of Delhi’s historic monuments. The tragedy has raised urgent questions about the safety and preservation of India’s cultural heritage.
Mass Nighttime Protests Across West Bengal Over Doctor’s Rape and Murder
Tens of thousands of people across the Indian state of West Bengal took to the streets on Thursday night in torch-lit vigils and rallies, demanding justice for a young female doctor who was raped and murdered at a Kolkata hospital last year. The “Raatdakhhol” — literally “Night Occupation” — protests were held simultaneously in multiple locations, from Kolkata’s Shyambazar and Jadavpur to towns such as Burdwan, Ghatal, and Medinipur. The movement, spearheaded by a citizens’ collective known as Abhaya Manch (“Fearless Forum”), began exactly a year after a massive outpouring of public anger first swept the city on 14 August 2024. In Kolkata, demonstrators gathered at key intersections — including Shyambazar, Rasbehari Avenue, Lake Town, and Nagerbazar — holding flaming torches, waving national flags, and using mobile phone flashlights to light the night. Many sat in circles on the pavement, reading poetry, staging street plays, and painting protest art on the road. The rallies were not limited to the state capital. In Hooghly district, crowds gathered from Chinsurah to Singur; in Howrah, protesters occupied sites such as Kadamtala and Santragachi; and in Burdwan, people assembled near the historic Curzon Gate. In the southern suburbs, including Behala and Sonarpur, the protests were marked by both large turnouts and political tensions. Organisers accused local leaders from the ruling Trinamool Congress of trying to disrupt the events, a charge the party denied. In Shyambazar, the mother of nine-year-old Tamanna Khatun — killed earlier this year in a bomb attack during a political victory procession in Nadia district — joined the rally, saying she wanted justice not only for her daughter but also for the murdered doctor. Smaller towns such as Ghatal in West Midnapore and Ashoknagar in North 24 Parganas saw late-evening gatherings, with makeshift stages set up for speeches and cultural performances. The original crime — the brutal rape and killing of a junior doctor at RG Kar Medical College in Kolkata — sparked nationwide outrage in 2024, drawing comparisons to the 2012 Delhi gang rape case. The victim’s colleagues have since led repeated strikes, marches, and symbolic occupations, demanding stronger protections for women in the workplace and faster trials in sexual assault cases. On Thursday night, the chants of “We want justice” once again echoed through Bengal’s streets, underscoring the enduring anger and grief that has kept the case alive in public memory.
