Catastrophic floods in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province have left at least 323 people dead and more than 150 feared missing, provincial authorities said Monday, as the nationwide toll from rain-related incidents since late June rose to 657.
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) said most of the missing were from the districts of Buner and Shangla. Rescue operations are underway with the support of five military helicopters, officials said.
PDMA Director General Asfandyar Khattak said the provincial government has released 1.5 billion rupees ($5.4 million) for relief efforts, including allocations for Buner, Mansehra, Bajaur, Swat and Shangla. Dozens of trucks carrying relief supplies, including food and non-food items, have reached the hardest-hit districts.
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has ordered federal ministers to personally supervise relief efforts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistani media reported. Under his directives, truckloads of food, tents and medicine are being dispatched to flood-stricken areas.
Nationwide, Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said 657 people have died in rain-related incidents since June 26, including 171 children and 94 women. More than 929 others have been injured. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has suffered the highest toll with 390 deaths. Punjab has reported 164 deaths, Sindh 28, Balochistan 20, Gilgit-Baltistan 32, Azad Jammu and Kashmir 15, and Islamabad eight.
The NDMA warned that two to three more waves of heavy rain are expected in September. This year’s monsoon rainfall has been 50 to 60 percent heavier than last year, making it among the most destructive in recent memory.
In Gilgit-Baltistan, flash floods triggered by a cloudburst killed two people Sunday in Kharmang district, while two others were injured. Roads including the Karakoram Highway and Baltistan Highway remain blocked, leaving thousands stranded. Residents in Gilgit city protested prolonged water shortages and power outages, blocking roads in frustration.
Authorities also warned of fluctuating water levels in the Sutlej River in Punjab. The PDMA said low- to medium-level flooding is likely to persist in the coming days, with flows ranging between 75,000 and 85,000 cusecs.
