KEY POINTS
- Khyber Pakhtunkhwa worst hit, with 328 deaths reported
- Swat, Buner, Bajaur, Torghar, Mansehra, Shangla and Battagram worst-hit districts
- Pakistan Army, Frontier Corps continue relief operation
- Additional troops deployed for the rehabilitation of flood-affected areas
- Pakistan Army allocates one day’s salary and over 600 tons of rations
- Corps of Engineers tasked with urgent bridge repairs and temporary structures
- Specialised rescue teams and helicopters are already active in relief efforts
- PM Sharif and Deputy PM Dar pledged full mobilisation of resources for relief.
PESHAWAR, Pakistan: At least 344 people have been killed in the past 48 hours as heavy monsoon rains triggered flash floods and house collapses across northern Pakistan, authorities said on Saturday. Rescuers are battling difficult conditions to retrieve bodies from the debris.
The majority of deaths, 328, were reported in mountainous Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) said.
Most were killed in flash floods and collapsing houses, while at least 120 others were injured.
The provincial rescue agency said that around 2,000 rescue workers were engaged in recovering bodies from the debris and carrying out relief operations in nine affected districts where rain was still hampering efforts.
“Heavy rainfall, landslides in several areas, and washed-out roads are causing significant challenges in delivering aid, particularly in transporting heavy machinery and ambulances,” said Bilal Ahmed Faizi, spokesman for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s rescue agency.
“Due to road closures in most areas, rescue workers are travelling on foot to conduct operations in remote regions,” he said.
“They are trying to evacuate survivors, but very few people are relocating due to the deaths of their relatives or loved ones being trapped in the debris.”
The provincial government has declared the severely affected mountainous districts of Buner, Bajaur, Swat, Shangla, Mansehra, and Battagram as disaster-hit areas.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur expressed sorrow over the loss of lives in rain-related incidents in the province.
Heavy rain alert
The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has issued a heavy rain alert for Pakistan’s northwest, urging people to take “precautionary measures”.
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa disaster management authority has also warned that the spell of heavy rains is likely to continue intermittently until August 21, potentially aggravating the flood situation in vulnerable districts.
Eleven more people were killed in Azad Kashmir, while five died in the northern Gilgit-Baltistan province, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said.
Another five people, including two pilots, were killed when a local government helicopter crashed due to bad weather during a relief mission on Friday.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday directed the authorities concerned to accelerate the rescue operation in Battagram district, after a cloudburst caused deaths and a flood situation.
The prime minister, in a statement, expressed grief over the deaths and prayed for peace for those who lost their lives in the flash flood.
He also conveyed his condolences to the bereaved families and prayed for strength for them to bear the loss.
He also directed the provision of immediate and all possible medical assistance to the injured.
Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar also expressed sorrow over the loss of precious lives.
“I am deeply saddened by the tragic loss of life and destruction caused by the recent cloudbursts and flash floods in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the northern parts of Pakistan. Our hearts go out to the families who have lost loved ones, to those who are injured, and many whose homes and livelihoods have been swept away,” he posted on X.
He assured that the Government of Pakistan was mobilising all available resources to provide relief and conduct rescue operations.
“Federal and provincial agencies, the armed forces, and local administrations are working tirelessly to reach affected communities and ensure the safety of our citizens,” said the deputy prime minister.
I am deeply saddened by the tragic loss of life and destruction caused by the recent cloudbursts and flash floods in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the northern parts of Pakistan. Our hearts go out to the families who have lost loved ones, to those who are injured, and many whose homes… pic.twitter.com/bmFRSYXWMy
— Ishaq Dar (@MIshaqDar50) August 16, 2025
Rescue and relief operation
Meanwhile Pakistan Army and Frontier Corps Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are continuing flood relief operations in Swat and Bajaur.
Frontier Corps North’s helicopter is engaged in relief activities and providing rations and other supplies to the affected people.
People are being evacuated from flood-affected areas to safe places.
The operation will continue till all affected people are rescued and shifted to safe places.
Pakistan’s Army Chief Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir has ordered the rehabilitation of flood-affected people in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The army chief said that Pakistan Army troops deployed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will fully assist in the rehabilitation of flood-affected people, according to security sources.
In this regard, additional military troops are also being sent.
The Pakistan Army has allocated one day’s salary for the rehabilitation of the flood-affected people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The Pakistan Army has also allocated one day’s rations, which amount to more than 600 tons, for the aid of the flood-affected people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Search and rescue
The army chief has issued special instructions to the Corps of Engineers to complete the repair work of bridges quickly; where necessary, temporary bridges should be established.
The army’s K-9 Unit’s Rescue Sniffing Dog Unit is also being sent for search and rescue, security sources.
The army’s special Urban Search and Rescue Team has also been deployed on the instructions of the army chief.
The Pakistan Army’s helicopters and Army Aviation have already been deployed for the rehabilitation of the flood-affected people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, according to the security sources.
The Pakistan Army stands shoulder to shoulder with the brave people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in every moment of difficulty.
‘Unusual’ monsoon
The monsoon season brings South Asia about three-quarters of its annual rainfall, vital for agriculture and food security, but it also brings destruction.
Landslides and flash floods are common during the season, which usually begins in June and eases by the end of September.
Syed Muhammad Tayyab Shah, a representative of the national disaster agency, told AFP that this year’s monsoon season began earlier than usual and was expected to end later.
“The next 15 days… the intensity of the monsoon will further exacerbate,” he said.
In Buner district, where there have been dozens of deaths and injuries, resident Azizullah said he “thought it was doomsday”.
“I heard a loud noise as if the mountain was sliding. I rushed outside and saw the entire area shaking, like it was the end of the world,” he told AFP.
“The ground was trembling due to the force of the water, and it felt like death was staring me in the face.”
The torrential rains that have pounded Pakistan since the start of the summer monsoon, described as “unusual” by authorities, have killed more than 650 people, with more than 880 injured.
In July, Punjab, home to nearly half of Pakistan’s 255 million people, recorded 73 percent more rainfall than the previous year and more deaths than in the entire previous monsoon.
Pakistan is one of the world’s most vulnerable countries to the effects of climate change, and its population is contending with extreme weather events with increasing frequency.
Monsoon floods in 2022 submerged a third of the country and killed around 1,700 people.
