PESHAWAR: The death toll has reached 400 as heavy rains and flash floods have wreaked havoc across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.
According to details, torrential rains triggered landslides, road collapses and swelling rivers that swept away bridges, homes and entire villages in various areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Similarly, in Gilgit-Baltistan, glacial streams and flash floods battered multiple areas. In Skardu, five bridges collapsed into rivers while in Chilas’s Ouchar stream several people were washed away, killing ten.
The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa released updated figures from the past 48 hours, reporting 307 deaths. Among them were 279 men, 15 women and 13 children. At least 23 others were injured, including four women and two children.
The flooding damaged 74 homes in the province, with 11 completely destroyed and 63 partially damaged. The hardest-hit districts included Swat, Buner, Bajaur, Torghar, Mansehra, Shangla and Battagram.
The provincial government has disbursed Rs500 million to support the affected families. Of this, Rs150 million has been allocated to Buner, while Rs100 million each went to Bajaur, Battagram and Mansehra, and Rs50 million to Swat.
Buner remained the worst-hit district, with more than 213 deaths reported so far. Other affected districts include Swat, Buner, Bajaur, Torghar, Mansehra, Shangla, and Battagram. The heaviest impact was recorded in Buner, Bajaur, and Battagram.
The PDMA warned that the current spell of heavy rain may continue intermittently until August 21.
On the special directives of the Chief Minister, relief funds have been released for the affected districts. The Chief Minister also ordered all concerned departments to speed up relief operations.
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PDMA said its teams and district administrations are in close coordination and are continuously monitoring the situation. It added that all district administrations were earlier instructed to take precautionary measures in advance.
Relief efforts have been accelerated in the affected districts. Authorities have been told to restore blocked highways and link roads using all available resources. PDMA also advised tourists to stay alert and follow precautionary guidelines.
The Emergency Operations Center of PDMA is fully active. Citizens can report any untoward incident, get weather updates, and seek information through the free helpline 1700, the PDMA spokesperson said.
