Pakistan Devastated by Torrential Rains: Over 300 Dead, Many Missing

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): Monsoon rains have wreaked havoc in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. More than 300 people have lost their lives in the flash floods in just 48 hours. According to local media, the death toll is 307.

According to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), the death toll in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Saturday rose to 307. About 12 people have lost their lives in Gilgit-Baltistan and 9 in PoK. Heavy rains in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Friday were devastating. More than 200 people died in a single day in flash floods caused by heavy rains and cloudburst in several districts. The dead also included five crew members of the provincial government helicopter. The helicopter crashed in Mohmand during relief and rescue operations.

According to Dawn (Pakistani media), 184 people have lost their lives in the last 48 hours and Buner was the most affected district. 36 people drowned in Shangla, 23 in Mansehra, 22 in Swat, 21 in Bajaur, 15 in Battagram, five in Lower Dir and one child in Abbottabad. 11 houses have been destroyed and 63 damaged due to the floods. Government schools in Swat and Shangla have been affected. Buner DC Kashif Qayoom Khan also told Dawn that 30 people are missing in Chagarzai tehsil, while more than 100 people are injured. Search operations by rescue teams are ongoing.

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has declared the worst-hit mountain districts of Buner, Bajaur, Swat, Shangla, Mansehra and Battagram as disaster-hit areas. According to Pakistan's Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), around 2,000 rescue workers were engaged in removing bodies from the rubble and carrying out relief operations in the nine affected districts. Heavy rains, landslides and washed away roads in many areas have made it difficult to deliver aid, especially heavy machinery and ambulances.