KEY POINTS
- Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s PDMA confirmed 341 deaths since 15 August.
- Over 2,478 houses damaged and thousands displaced across Pakistan.
- More than 425 relief camps set up; Pakistan Army conducting airlifts, distributing rations and reopening blocked highways.
- PM Sharif announces cabinet members will donate a month’s salary.
- NDMA warns of more heavy rains and landslides until mid-September.
ISLAMABAD: At least 660 people have died in Pakistan since late June as heavy monsoon rains triggered devastating floods and landslides in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and other parts of the South Asian country, officials said on Monday. Meanwhile, authorities warned of further heavy rainfall and landslides in the coming days.
According to figures released by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) on Monday, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province has borne the brunt of the climate change-induced disaster with 392 deaths.
Punjab recorded 164 fatalities, Gilgit-Baltistan 32, Sindh 29, Balochistan 20, Azad Jammu and Kashmir 15, and the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) eight, according to the disaster management authority. The NDMA said that at least 935 people have been injured across the country.
Losses in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) reported that catastrophic floods since 15 August have claimed at least 341 lives in the province and injured 178 people.
Local officials warned that the toll could rise as search and rescue efforts continue in remote areas, including Buner, Shangla, Battagram and Mansehra districts of the province.
In Swabi district, a cloudburst swept away 15 people along with vehicles and submerged dozens of homes.
Deputy Commissioner Nasrullah Khan confirmed that 12 houses in Dalori village were inundated.
“The flow of flash floods was very fast, and landslides have also occurred in several places,” he said. Rescue teams were deployed from Haripur and Mardan to assist stranded families.
Meanwhile, floodwater and landslides blocked roads in Peshawar, Mardan, Abbottabad and Gadoon Amazai, hampering relief operations.
In Buner district, floods destroyed schools and washed away villages, with more than 200 deaths reported in Pir Baba area alone. Authorities fear that dozens of missing people may be buried under debris.
Destruction across Pakistan
The NDMA reported that 2,478 houses had been damaged nationwide, with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir suffering the heaviest destruction.
Hundreds of homes have been either partially or fully destroyed, leaving thousands displaced.
In Punjab, three hours of torrential rainfall inundated low-lying areas in Chakwal and Kallar Kahar. In Rajanpur, rising waters in the Indus River forced evacuations from riverside settlements.
Irrigation authorities warned of a massive flood wave moving towards Dera Ghazi Khan.
In Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Dr Gul Lala, a lecturer at Poonch University, was swept away in her car by strong currents in Nala Tarar in Rawalakot, Basharat Mahmood, Director of Student Affairs at the University of Poonch, told WE News English. Five people were killed in Neelum Valley when a vehicle plunged into the river amid heavy rains.
Meanwhile, the water level in the Poonch River in Azad Jammu and Kashmir has risen, submerging nearby parks and cutting off a bridge due to overflowing water. The flood situation poses a serious threat to communities living near the river, with fears of further waterlogging.
Rescue and relief efforts
Relief operations are being carried out by provincial authorities, the Pakistan Army and local administrations.
More than 425 relief camps have been set up across flood-hit areas, according to the NDMA, providing shelter, food and medical care.
The military said that specialised aviation units are conducting airlifts of critically injured people, while field ambulances are transporting patients to hospitals.
The Pakistan Army is spearheading relief operations in flood-hit areas of the country. Army helicopters are distributing rations and shifting families to safer areas.
Pakistan Army engineers are clearing blocked roads, while medical camps are treating patients free of cost.
Army contingents are also active in Gilgit-Baltistan, where landslides blocked highways. Officials said the Islamabad-Gilgit Highway has been reopened, along with several other key routes.
The NDMA has placed the National Emergencies Operation Centre on high alert and is coordinating with provincial governments.
Federal cabinet donates salary
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif pledged full federal support for flood-affected communities. Chairing a review meeting, PM Sharif announced that members of the federal cabinet would donate one month’s salary to aid relief operations.
“In this hour of calamity, there is no federal or provincial government; we must ensure the assistance and rehabilitation of affected people,” the prime minister said, calling the relief effort a “national responsibility”.
The government directed federal ministers to monitor relief operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.
Ministers were tasked with overseeing the restoration of roads, electricity and water supplies, while the Health Ministry was instructed to dispatch medicines and medical teams to establish field camps.
وزیرِ اعظم محمد شہباز شریف کی زیرِ صدارت خیبر پختونخوا، گلگت بلتستان اور آزاد جموں و کشمیر میں طوفانی بارشوں و سیلاب کے متاثرین کیلئے جاری امدادی سرگرمیوں پر اعلیٰ سطحی اجلاس
وزیرِ اعظم کا خیبرپختونخوا کے سیلاب متاثرین کیلئے وفاقی کابینہ کی ایک ماہ کی تنخواہ عطیہ کرنے کا اعلان۔ pic.twitter.com/Z1HrgQ1K2K
— Government of Pakistan (@GovtofPakistan) August 18, 2025
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur announced similar measures, pledging that his cabinet and provincial legislators would also donate portions of their salaries to a special PDMA account dedicated to relief work.
More heavy rains forecast
The national disaster management agency has warned that monsoon conditions would remain precarious until at least the second week of September.
“Two to three additional spells are likely before normalisation by the end of September,” NDMA chairman told reporters in Islamabad on Sunday.
He said that early warning data had been shared with provincial governments and urged citizens in vulnerable areas to evacuate from stormwater paths.
“Pakistan Army Aviation bases have activated reserve systems to support emergency evacuations,” he added.
According to preliminary estimates, the NDMA said that damages to public and private property have already exceeded Rs126 million, with losses expected to climb further as assessments continue.
