Floods Across Pakistan – At least 307 people have died in the past two days after heavy monsoon floods and landslides struck Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir, with the death toll continuing to rise rapidly. Most fatalities have occurred in the north-western Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, disaster authorities report, following relentless downpours and sudden flash floods that destroyed entire communities.
Officials confirmed nine deaths in Pakistan-administered Kashmir and five more in Gilgit-Baltistan, adding to the mounting casualties. At least 74 homes have been damaged in the floods, compounding the region’s humanitarian crisis. Rescue operations suffered a further blow when an M-17 helicopter crashed during a relief mission in Bajaur, killing all five crew members.
Government forecasters predict heavy rainfall will persist across north-west Pakistan until August 21, with several localities already declared disaster zones. Survivors described scenes of devastation, with powerful floodwaters shaking villages and triggering landslides. In Buner, a resident told AFP: “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.”
In Bajaur, hundreds gathered for mass funeral prayers, mourning those lost as excavators clawed through mud-soaked hills searching for survivors. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa authorities have announced a day of mourning.
In Indian-administered Kashmir, at least 60 people were killed when floods crashed through a Himalayan village, as rescuers scrambled to pull bodies from the rubble. This year’s monsoon rains, between June and September, have brought disaster across South Asia, with more than 650 deaths reported.
Climate experts warn that such events are becoming increasingly severe and frequent due to global warming. Northern Pakistan’s rapidly retreating glaciers—among the most glaciated in the region—leave valleys prone to landslides and blockages, intensifying the impact of the annual monsoons.
Authorities continue their search and rescue operations as communities reel from the scale of the catastrophe.