Floods and Landslides in Pakistan Kill Nearly 400

Darwin, August 20 — Continuous heavy rainfall over the past five days has triggered devastating floods and landslides in Pakistan, pushing the death toll close to 400. On Tuesday, rescue workers resumed efforts to search for survivors trapped under the rubble, even as weather officials forecast more rain throughout the week.

According to France24, citing AFP, numerous villages in northern Pakistan have been submerged, with many people missing and others trapped under debris due to the natural disaster.

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) reported that 356 deaths occurred in the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa alone since Thursday. Dozens of additional deaths in surrounding regions bring the total number close to 400.

In Dalori, one of the worst-hit villages in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, rescue teams are digging through mud and rocks in search of survivors. Locals gathered at the site to witness the resumed operations and offer prayers after rescue efforts were suspended a day earlier due to heavy rainfall.

Umar Islam, who lost his father in the flooding, told AFP:

“Our suffering is indescribable. Within minutes, we lost everything. Our lives are destroyed.”

Another villager, Fazal Akbar, described the sudden floods as “extremely terrifying.”

“Everything happened so quickly that no one had time to react. After the mosque announcement, villagers rushed to help with rescue operations. In less than 20 minutes, our village turned into rubble.”

More Rain Expected

With communication systems down and roads severely damaged, rescue teams are struggling to reach remote areas.

Meanwhile, the disaster is not limited to the north. Heavy rains have now begun in southern Pakistan as well.

NDMA Chairman Lieutenant General Inam Haider Malik warned that rainfall could continue through Saturday, with another wave of rain expected later this month.

According to NDMA data, over 700 people have died and nearly 1,000 have been injured across Pakistan since the onset of the monsoon season on June 26.

Authorities have warned of urban flooding risks in Karachi and other coastal cities in Sindh province due to weak infrastructure. In neighboring Balochistan, 40 to 50 homes have been damaged by heavy rainfall across two districts, and a major highway connecting the region to Sindh has been closed.

Monsoon rains from June to September often cause sudden floods and landslides in Pakistan. However, climate change has made the country one of the most vulnerable in the world, with increasingly extreme weather events in recent years.

In 2022, catastrophic flooding submerged nearly one-third of the country, killing around 1,700 people.