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.
