At least 198 people lost their lives and several remained missing as flash floods wreaked havoc across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Friday, according to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA).
Since late June, monsoon rains have wreaked havoc across the country — especially KP and northern regions — by triggering deadly floods, landslides and displacement, particularly in vulnerable, poorly drained, or densely populated areas.
The province-wide deaths included 172 men, 14 women and 12 children, with Buner witnessing the highest number of deaths, 91, according to the PDMA. The data added that 45 homes, three schools and eight other structures were destroyed amid the deluge, with 26 homes being destroyed in Swat alone.
According to the PDMA report, “37 houses were partially destroyed and seven were completely destroyed.”
The report added that heavy rain in the area is likely to continue intermittently until August 21.
“On the special instructions of the Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, relief funds have been released for the districts affected by rains and flash floods,” the report read.
“A total of Rs500 million has been released for the districts most affected by floods,” it added, stating that Rs150m has been released for Buner district, Rs100m each for Bajaur, Battagram and Mansehra districts and Rs50m for Swat.
The PDMA added that it ordered the relevant institutions and bodies to intensify rescue efforts and dispatched letters to district administrations to take precautions ahead of the upcoming weather.
In the evening, KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur issued a video statement where he said that all departments and institutions are engaged in rescue operations, which are being monitored from a control room set up at CM House in Peshawar.
“The province, especially in the Malakand and Hazara regions, has been hit by terrible floods due to cloudbursts and rain,” he said. “As a result, many lives have been lost due to various accidents.
“Two helicopters of the provincial government were working to rescue people, but one of these helicopters met with a tragic accident due to bad weather. Five crew members were martyred.”
The CM outlined that the district administrations and all provincial government departments are actively engaged and “ensuring all measures to protect the lives and property of the people”.
“The administration of the affected districts, as well as others, has also been put on high alert and safety measures are being taken,” he added. “Heavy machinery has been deployed in the affected areas for rescue operations and to clear blocked roads.”
The CM added that provincial lawmakers are in the affected areas and coordinating with local officials.
“In this hour of difficulty, the provincial government stands with its people,” Gandapur said. “The provincial government will fully repair the damage caused by these natural disasters and the public is urged to cooperate with the administration.”
Meanwhile, the KP Health Department issued a pair of notifications — available with Dawn.com — declaring a health emergency in the districts of Buner, Swat, Mansehra, Abbottabad, Bajaur and Mohmand and the establishment of flood control rooms and disease data-sharing centres in hospitals across KP.
The notification declaring a health emergency in all hospitals in the aforementioned districts stated that the step had been taken “to prevent [the] outbreak of communicable diseases and effectively monitor risks to the health of the affected population”.
It added that all healthcare staff were to be put on high alert and cancel their leaves to ensure adequate staffing for the provision of healthcare to victims.
The second notification, addressed to all hospitals in KP, ordered the establishment of flood control rooms in order to ensure the availability of medicines and the functioning of medical equipment.
“In light of the anticipated rise in fatalities and injuries, as well as the increasing cases of both communicable and non-communicable diseases, you are requested to nominate a focal person from your district who will be responsible for providing daily updates to the health directorate,” the notification read.
Earlier, the KP government dispatched a helicopter with supplies to Bajaur district, but said that it lost contact with the aircraft. It later confirmed in a statement that the helicopter had crashed and two pilots and three crew were killed.
“As a result of this tragic accident, five passengers, including two pilots, were martyred,” the statement read, quoting Gandapur.
“The provincial government has called for a day of mourning tomorrow and flags will be flown at half mast,” the statement added. “Rescue teams have been dispatched to the crash site and the martyrs will be buried with full honours.”
In an earlier statement, the CM was quoted as saying that contact with the helicopter had been lost due to “bad weather”.
Buner Deputy Commissioner Kashif Qayum Khan told Dawn.com that 78 people had lost their lives, while “several” were missing. A PDMA daily situation report seen by Dawn.com confirmed the casualties, with 75 men, two women and a child among the deceased.
He added that an emergency has been declared across the district as relief efforts continue in flood-affected areas.
“Helicopters are being used to carry out rescue operations in remote and inaccessible regions,” he said, adding that in Pir Baba Bazaar and the adjoining neighbourhood, floodwaters have completely submerged the area.
“A mosque in Gokand was destroyed and a large number of livestock perished,” he added. “Several roads remain blocked, and the exact number of missing persons has yet to be confirmed.”
Officials said the true figure would only be known once floodwaters receded.
Other most-impacted districts included Bajaur — located in the same Malakand Division as Buner — where eight children were among 21 killed and eight were injured due to flash floods, the PDMA report said.
Incidents related to lightning strikes took the lives of 15 men in Battagram, while 14 deaths and two injuries were reported in Mansehra due to floods.
In Swat, flash floods and thunder strikes claimed 11 lives, the PDMA report added. A roof collapse left five men dead and three wounded in Lower Dir, while two men were killed and as many were injured in a similar incident in Shangla.
The KP government said a provincial govt MI-17 rescue helicopter had reached Buner to evacuate people to safe areas.
Meanwhile, Muhammad Sohail, a media coordinator for Rescue 1122, told Dawn.com that more than 157 bodies have so far been recovered, while over 100 people, including women and children, have been rescued and moved to safe locations.
“The situation is at its worst and rescue operations are continuing in the affected areas, as authorities work to reach stranded residents and provide relief,” he said.
Speaking to Geo News, KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi responded in the affirmative when asked whether an emergency should be declared. An official notification for that is yet to be issued.
PTI MNA Gohar Ali Khan, who is from Malakand Division’s Buner district, told Geo News: “We have sent rescue teams but reaching the points is also difficult.”
Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah expressed condolences over the loss of life and the flooding, as well as the helicopter crash, the Associated Press of Pakistan reported.
The Sindh CM spoke with Kundi and KP CM Gandapur, conveying the Sindh government’s solidarity and offering any assistance.
“Medical treatment facilities have been made available in Karachi for those injured in the floods, underscoring Sindh’s dedication to aiding affected communities,” he said.
Buner District Police Officer (DPO) also told Dawn.com in an earlier statement that 54 bodies were brought to a Tehsil Headquarters Hospital.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif directed the relevant authorities to accelerate the rescue operation in Battagram district. In a statement, he expressed grief over the deaths and prayed for those who lost their lives in the flash flood.
KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur spoke to the Hazara commissioner and Battagram DC on the phone and directed that the district administration officials reach the site to supervise the rescue operations, his government said.
Floods wreak havoc in Bajaur, Battagram, Mansehra
According to the Associated Press of Pakistan, Battagram Assistant Commissioner Muhammad Saleem Khan said the casualties occurred after five houses were destroyed last night due to a lightning strike in Neel Band village, which is located on the border of Battagram and Mansehra districts.
In Bajaur earlier today, there were “reports of several people injured in flash floods”, which were caused by a cloudburst (heavy rainfall) in Salarzai tehsil’s Jabrarai village“, Rescue 1122 spokesperson Bilal Ahmad Faizi told Dawn.com.
“Rescue 1122 personnel, with the cooperation of residents, have so far recovered 16 bodies and rescued three injured from the rubble and rainwater,” Faizi confirmed, stating an earlier toll.
A search and rescue operation was underway under the supervision of Bajaur District Emergency Officer Amjad Khan as seven people remained missing, Faizi said, citing locals. DEO Amjad Khan and the station house in-charge were personally supervising the operation, the Rescue 1122 official added.
The deluge in Battagram affected villages located on the border areas of Neel Band, Sarim and Malkal Gali, according to a statement issued by Battagram Rescue 1122 spokesperson Aziz Khan.
“The ongoing rescue efforts are facing challenges due to intermittent rain and a near-total loss of mobile network coverage, severely impacting communication,” the statement explained.
In Lower Dir, five people died and four were wounded when the roof of a house in the Maidan area’s Suri Pao village collapsed due to heavy rain, Faizi said.
Detailing the hurdles, the rescue official said: “The rescue team reached the scene after walking for three hours despite heavy rain, flooded rails, difficult and bad roads.”
Yesterday, over a dozen people were killed as rains and flooding ripped through the country’s northern parts, including Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB).
In Muzaffarabad, a massive landslide in Sarli Sacha village hit a home, leaving six members of a family buried and feared dead. Torrential rains claimed the lives of two more women in AJK’s Bagh and Sudhnoti districts.
In GB, flash floods killed at least eight people, with two still missing in the Ghizer district, while also devastating villages in the Khalti, Ishkoman and Yasin areas.
Similarly, a spell of heavy downpour lashed various parts of Abbottabad district yesterday, triggering flash floods that severely disrupted traffic flow and caused damage to infrastructure.
At least 325 people, including 142 children, have died and 743 others have been injured since June 26 in flash floods and torrential rains that have battered several parts of Pakistan, according to daily data from the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).
More to follow