Pakistan monsoon floods claim 220 lives; more rains predicted

Flooding in a northwest Pakistani district has killed at least 220 people officials said Saturday as rescuers pulled 63 more bodies overnight from homes flattened by flash floods and landslides with forecasts of more rain in the coming days One eyewitness who escaped the deluges in Buner described seeing floodwaters carrying hundreds of boulders and tons of rocks crashing downHundreds of rescue workers are still searching for survivors in Buner one of several places in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province where torrential rains and cloudbursts caused massive flooding on Friday said Mohammad Suhail a spokesman for the emergency services Dozens of homes were swept awayFirst responders have been trying to recover bodies from the worsthit villages of Pir Baba and Malik Pura where most of the fatalities were said Kashif Qayyum a deputy commissioner in Buner Local police officer Imtiaz Khan who narrowly escaped the deluges said floodwaters carrying hundreds of boulders struck and flattened homes within minutesA stream near Pir Baba village in Buner swelled without warning At first we thought it was a normal flash flood but when tons of rocks came crashing down with the water 60 to 70 houses were swept away in moments Khan told The Associated Press adding that many bodies were left mutilatedOur police station was washed away too and if we hadnt climbed to higher ground we would not have survived Khan said Pakistans Meteorological Department predicted torrential rains in the coming days and warned that monsoon activity was likely to intensify from Sunday onwards including in the north and northwestHigherthannormal monsoon rainfallRescuers said they saw large swathes of Pir Baba village destroyed wrecked homes and giant rocks filling the streets as the water started to recede It was not just the floodwater it was a flood of boulders as well which we saw for the first time in our lives said Sultan Syed 45 who suffered a broken armMohammad Khan 53 said the floods came so fast that many could not leave their homes Most victims died before reaching the hospital said Mohammad Tariq a doctor in Buner Many among the dead were children and men while women were away in the hills collecting firewood and grazing cattlePakistani leaders including the prime minister and president offered their condolences to the families of the dead and said they were praying for the speedy recovery of the injured The chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ali Amin Gandapur said efforts were underway to repair roads and other damaged infrastructurePakistan has received higherthannormal monsoon rainfall this year which experts link to climate change triggering floods and mudslides that have killed some 541 people since June 26 according to the National Disaster Management AuthorityGrief and sorrow everywhereMourners attended mass funerals on Saturday while authorities supplied tents and food to people in Buner Local cleric Mufti Fazal had led funeral prayers at multiple locations since Friday morning Before yesterdays floods the area was bustling with life Now there is grief and sorrow everywhereSchoolteacher Suleman Khan lost 25 members of his extended family He and his brother survived only because they were away from home when the floods hit his village Qadar Nagar In Pir Baba mourners laid out the covered bodies of their loved ones on wooden bedframes or bore them aloft ahead of burials In a hospital paramedics placed blocks of ice next to the deceased or comforted the injuredAccording to the provincial disaster management authority at least 351 people have died in rainrelated incidents this week across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the northern region of GilgitBaltistanTourists trapped in floodhit areasIn Indiacontrolled Kashmir rescuers scoured the remote village of Chositi in the district of Kishtwar on Saturday looking for dozens of missing people after it was hit by flash floods two days earlier killing 60 and injuring some 150 about 50 in critical condition Thursdays floods struck during an annual Hindu pilgrimage in the area Authorities have rescued over 300 people while some 4000 pilgrims have been evacuated to safetySuch cloudbursts are increasingly common in Indias Himalayan regions and Pakistans northern areas and experts have said climate change is a contributing factor Pakistani officials said rescuers since Thursday have evacuated more than 3500 tourists trapped in floodhit areas across the countryMany travelers have ignored government warnings about avoiding vulnerable regions in the north and northwest Pakistan witnessed its worstever monsoon season in 2022 It killed more than 1700 people and caused an estimated USD 40 billion in damageThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever