Peshawar: At least 657 people have died and nearly 1,000 others injured in rain-related incidents in Pakistan since late June, officials said.
During a media briefing on Sunday, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) spokesperson Tayyab Shah warned that heavy monsoon rains are expected to continue until August 22. He added that two to three more monsoon spells could hit the country in September. This year’s rainfall has been 50 to 60 percent heavier than last year, making it one of the most destructive monsoon seasons in recent memory.
According to NDMA data, the fatalities include 171 children, 94 women, and 392 men, while 929 people sustained injuries across the country since June 26.
Provincial tolls:
- Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: 390 deaths (288 men, 59 children, 43 women)
- Punjab: 164 deaths (70 children, 63 men, 31 women)
- Sindh: 28 deaths (14 children, 4 women)
- Balochistan: 20 deaths (11 children)
- Gilgit-Baltistan: 32 deaths (8 children)
- Pakistan-occupied Kashmir: 15 deaths (5 minors)
- Islamabad: 8 deaths (4 children)
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) Director General Asfandyar Khattak reported that around 150 people are missing from Buner and Shangla districts. In Buner, flash floods triggered by cloudbursts claimed 84 lives, including 21 members of a single family preparing for a wedding.
Rescue operations are ongoing, with five armed forces helicopters deployed to assist. The provincial government has released PKR 1.5 billion for relief efforts. Supplies are being distributed, including 33 trucks of non-food items to Buner, eight to Swat, and seven to Bajaur, with additional shipments en route.
Investigators have also recovered the black box of an MI-17 helicopter that crashed on August 15 during a relief mission in Bajaur’s Salarzai area, killing all five crew members.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed federal ministers to oversee relief operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Under the PM’s Relief Package, truckloads of food, tents, and medicine are being delivered to the affected districts.
The education department reported that the heavy rains and flash floods have completely destroyed 61 government schools in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, while 414 others have suffered partial damage.
