Monsoon floods in Pakistan kill over 300

KABUL (Pajhwok): The death toll from heavy monsoon floods and landslides in Pakistan and Islamabad-administered Kashmir continues to rise, with 307 people now confirmed dead, according to media reports on Saturday.

Most fatalities were reported in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. At least 74 homes have been damaged, and a rescue helicopter crashed during operations, killing all five crew members, the BBC reported.

In Pakistan-administered Kashmir, nine people were killed, while five died in the northern Gilgit-Baltistan region, authorities said.

Government forecasters warned that heavy rainfall is expected until 21 August in the northwest, where several areas have been declared disaster zones.

In Buner, a survivor described the floods to AFP as arriving like “doomsday.” Azizullah said, “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. The ground was trembling due to the force of the water, and it felt like death was staring me in the face.”

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gadapur said the M-17 helicopter crashed due to bad weather while flying to Bajaur, a region bordering Afghanistan. In Bajaur, AFP photos showed crowds around an excavator clearing a mud-soaked hill, with funeral prayers taking place nearby and grieving families in front of bodies covered by blankets.

In Indian-administered Kashmir, rescuers pulled bodies from mud and rubble after a flood struck a Himalayan village, killing at least 60 people and washing away dozens more.

Monsoon rains between June and September bring roughly three-quarters of South Asia’s annual rainfall, making landslides and flooding common. This year, over 300 people have already died in the monsoon season.

In July, Punjab province, 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 season. Scientists warn that climate change is making such extreme weather events more frequent and severe.

sa/ma