BAJAUR, AUG 16: Flash flooding in the country’s northern areas on Friday left at least 222 people dead, with 210 lives lost in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and 12 in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB), according to provincial officials and disaster management bodies.
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.
Key points:
210 killed in KP, including 91 in Buner
12 dead in GB, nine dead in AJK
Over 10 people killed each in Bajaur, Battagram, Shangla and Mansehra
KP government rescue helicopter crashes, five crew dead
KP CM says all departments engaged in rescue operations
Bridges, homes, water mills washed away in AJK
Over 700 tourists rescued from AJK’s Ratti Gali
Flash flood washes away homes in GB’s Daen village
Tourists stranded in GB due to flooded roads
Power outages in GB’s Skardu after water entered power station
The province-wide deaths in KP included 184 men, 14 women and 12 children, with Buner witnessing the highest number of deaths, 91, according to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA).
The data added that 68 homes, three schools and 16 other structures were destroyed amid the deluge, with 49 homes being destroyed in Swat alone.
According to the PDMA report, 61 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.”
Rescue personnel carry out a search operation in KP’s Swat district after flash floods ravaged the province on August 15. — Rescue 1122 via Zahid Imdad
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.
12 dead and two missing: officials
In flooding across Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) during the past 24 hours, 12 people were killed, two others were missing and 15 people were injured, according to the Gilgit-Baltistan Disaster Management Authority (GBDMA).
According to the GBDMA, a flash flood in Ghizer district’s Daen village destroyed 20 homes and killed two people, adding that glacier lake outburst floods continued from Shishper Glacier, causing erosion in areas downstream of Hassanabad in Hunza.
The flood displaced more families as four more homes were submerged and farmland was destroyed.
GBDMA Assistant Director Hunza and Nagar Zubair Ahmed Khan told Dawn.com that the residents of six homes were already moved to safe places.
“Glacier lake outburst floods in Hassanabad nullah continued erosion,” Khan said.
“Work has started on the rehabilitation of affected roads, power houses, bridges and water supply works in all districts of the province,” GB government spokesperson Faizullah Firaq told Dawn.com.
“The chief minister has instructed all ministers to visit the affected areas and supervise the rehabilitation works.”
The spokesperson added that a missing person, who was swept away by flooding in Diamer, has yet to be found.
“Thousands of people have been deprived of drinking water and electricity due to the flood,” Firaq added.
“Power has been cut off in Gilgit city and its suburbs since last night. According to the Power Department, power has been cut off for the city due to the rupture of the water channel at the Naltar Power House.”
Firaq said that small-scale flooding was expected today in Khanbari, Thor, Tangir, Khanar and Batoghah, but added that there was “no major damage”.
Floodwater passes through Gilgit-Baltistan on August 15. — DawnNewsTV
“The Karakoram Highway is closed due to the flood in Kohistan Achar Nallah yesterday, which has cut off land communication between Gilgit-Baltistan and Rawalpindi,” he said. “Due to this situation, a large number of passengers and tourists are stranded on both sides.”
In Skardu, police spokesperson Ghulam Mehmood said that the RC bridge at Skardu Baghicha was swept away by the flood, severing the Baltistan Highway.
“This closure suspended traffic between Gilgit and Skardu, while a foreign tourist vehicle was caught in a landslide at the same location,” he told Dawn.com. “A guide from Punjab died after a stone hit the vehicle. The tourists and the body have been moved to Skardu.”
Mehmood added that the water channel near Sadpara Dam was severely damaged by the flood, while power to Skardu city was cut off due to floodwater entering the power station. He added that water flow has since been restored.
“The road from Sadpara to Deosai has been closed at three or four places due to flooding,” he added.
Munir A Johar, an official in the GB information department, said in a statement that Rs93.3m had been released by the administration to deputy commissioners so they could pay the families of those affected to ensure their rehabilitation.
AJK sees nine dead, four injured amid flash floods
Meanwhile, in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), rescuers and volunteers recovered six bodies from a suburban area of Muzaffarabad today, as the death toll from rain-related incidents rose to nine following Thursday’s flash floods triggered by torrential rains, officials said.
Raja Farrukh Qudoos, a local official in Patikka, was among the officials supervising the rescue and recovery operation in Nariyah Behak, part of Sarli Sacha village northwest of Muzaffarabad, where a cloudburst-induced flood in Jhugiyan Nullah had smashed around four houses.
“While occupants of other nearby houses had moved to lower areas a few days earlier, one house was still inhabited by a six-member family along with a guest,” Qudoos said. “The guest managed to escape but was injured, while the family was buried alive.”
The rescue operation, suspended on Thursday evening due to heavy rain, resumed at dawn.
“Five bodies were recovered around 3:30am,” Qudoos said, adding that the body of the eldest daughter was found about 150 feet from the initial site at around 8:30am.
Giving an overview of the damage in Muzaffarabad, Saeed Qureshi, director operations at the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA), said that a total of nine people had lost their lives across AJK — six in Muzaffarabad and one each in the Jhelum Valley, Sudhnoti and Bagh districts. Four others were injured.
“Thirty-one houses and 23 shops had been destroyed, while 23 more houses suffered partial damage,” Qureshi said. “Infrastructure losses included two schools, 12 water mills, one main bridge, four pedestrian bridges, one mosque, four motorcycles, one car, a service station, five cattle sheds, and six electricity poles.”
Onlookers gather near a destroyed bridge after flash floods on the outskirts of Muzaffarabad, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, on August 15. — AFP
In Neelum Valley, more than 700 tourists — mostly women and children — and over 90 vehicles were stranded at the Ratti Galli lake base camp on Thursday after rains and flooding damaged over one kilometre of the already treacherous road.
AJK Information Minister Pir Mazhar Saeed, who was present at the base camp, stayed overnight to reassure the tourists, announcing they would not be charged for meals or accommodation until their safe evacuation.
Akhtar Ayoub, the district disaster management officer in Neelum Valley, said the rescue operation began at 7am today, with almost all stranded tourists evacuated from the Ratti Galli base camp to Dawarian, along the main Neelum Valley road.
“The operation was jointly carried out by Rescue 1122, tourist police, traffic police, regular police, Pakistan Army personnel and officials from the highways department,” he said.
Tourists are evacuated from Ratti Gali in Azad Jammu and Kashmir’s Neelum Valley on August 15. — Photo via author
Qureshi said that except for the Muzaffarabad-Mansehra Road, where operations to clear a landslide at Lohar Galli were in progress, all other main roads across AJK were open for all types of traffic.
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 507 people, including 159 children, have died and 768 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).
