Islamabad, Aug. 16, 2025
Rescuers in northern Pakistan battled mud, debris, and washed-out roads on Saturday as flash floods triggered by relentless monsoon rains killed at least 344 people in just two days, authorities said.
The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) reported that most of the fatalities — 324 — occurred in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where raging waters and collapsing houses claimed lives. At least 137 others were injured.
“It felt like the end of the world,” one resident recalled, describing how the ground shook under the force of the floodwaters.
More than 2,000 rescue workers are struggling to recover bodies and provide relief in nine flood-hit districts, with rain and landslides continuing to hamper operations. “Heavy rainfall, landslides in several areas, and washed-out roads are causing significant challenges in delivering aid,” said Bilal Ahmed Faizi, spokesperson for the provincial rescue agency. “Rescuers often have to walk to remote sites, and many families refuse to relocate, waiting instead for news of their trapped loved ones.”
Buner district deputy commissioner Kashif Qayum Khan warned that more victims may still be buried under rubble that local residents cannot clear without machinery.
Authorities have declared six districts — Buner, Bajaur, Swat, Shangla, Mansehra, and Battagram — as disaster-hit zones. The meteorological department issued fresh heavy rain alerts for Pakistan’s northwest, urging residents to take precautions.
Beyond Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 11 people were reported dead in Pakistan-administered Kashmir and nine in Gilgit-Baltistan. In a separate tragedy, five rescuers were killed when a government helicopter crashed during a relief mission on Friday amid poor weather conditions.
The monsoon season, which runs from June to September, delivers nearly three-quarters of South Asia’s annual rainfall. While essential for farming and water supply, the torrential downpours also bring deadly floods and landslides.
Since the onset of this year’s unusually intense monsoon, at least 650 people have lost their lives across Pakistan and more than 900 have been injured, officials said.
