The death toll from weeks of heavy rains and flooding in Pakistan has surpassed 300, officials said Saturday, with the hardest-hit areas in the mountainous Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
The National Disaster Management Authority said floods, landslides, and a helicopter crash during a relief mission were among the causes of fatalities. Five people, including two pilots, were killed when a provincial government helicopter went down in bad weather, Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur confirmed.
Authorities have declared several districts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including Buner, Bajaur, Mansehra and Battagram, as disaster-hit. Funeral prayers were held in Bajaur on Saturday as grieving families laid victims to rest.
The meteorological department has issued fresh alerts, warning that monsoon rains are expected to intensify from August 16 to 30. Officials declared a day of mourning across the province, with flags flying at half-mast in honor of the dead.
This year’s monsoon has already proven deadlier than usual, with nearly half the victims reported to be children. Pakistan, highly vulnerable to climate change, has faced worsening extreme weather events in recent years. In 2022, catastrophic floods submerged a third of the country and killed 1,700 people.
The National Disaster Management Authority said floods, landslides, and a helicopter crash during a relief mission were among the causes of fatalities. Five people, including two pilots, were killed when a provincial government helicopter went down in bad weather, Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur confirmed.
Authorities have declared several districts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including Buner, Bajaur, Mansehra and Battagram, as disaster-hit. Funeral prayers were held in Bajaur on Saturday as grieving families laid victims to rest.
The meteorological department has issued fresh alerts, warning that monsoon rains are expected to intensify from August 16 to 30. Officials declared a day of mourning across the province, with flags flying at half-mast in honor of the dead.
This year’s monsoon has already proven deadlier than usual, with nearly half the victims reported to be children. Pakistan, highly vulnerable to climate change, has faced worsening extreme weather events in recent years. In 2022, catastrophic floods submerged a third of the country and killed 1,700 people.
