Pakistan: Flash floods, rains kill 22 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in five days

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa [Pakistan], June 30 (ANI): At least 22 people have lost their lives and 11 others have been injured in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa since June 25 due to incidents triggered by heavy rain, strong winds, flash floods, and landslides, the Dawn reported, citing a report from the country's Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA).

As per Dawn, citing the PDMA, 18 people were swept away by a sudden surge in the Swat River in the province, which has seen particularly dangerous conditions due to the ongoing monsoon. Authorities have warned of continued risks of flash floods and landslides across the province.

The PDMA report detailed casualties and damage in multiple districts, including Swat, Abbottabad, Mansehra, Chitral, Buner, Swabi, Kurram, Charsadda, Malakand, Shangla, Lower Dir, Torghar, and South Waziristan.

Among the deceased are seven men, five women, and ten children, while the injured include six men, four women, and one child, the Dawn reported.

As per Dawn, in terms of property damage, 75 houses have been affected, with 64 partially and 11 completely destroyed. Swat district was the hardest hit, with 14 deaths and six injuries reported.

Meanwhile, rescue efforts remain ongoing, particularly in Swat, where a search operation entered its fourth day on Monday for a missing child. The child was among a group of 13 tourists swept away by flash floods, with 12 bodies recovered so far.

The PDMA has instructed local authorities to provide emergency relief and ensure medical care for the injured, and has also issued warnings for continued rain until July 1, advising district administrations to stay alert and take preventive action, as reported by Dawn.

Adviser to the Chief Minister on information in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif, confirmed that 80 people had been rescued during the flooding and acknowledged the limitations of the province's air ambulance, which lacks the equipment necessary for aerial rescue operations in challenging terrain and weather conditions, the Dawn reported.

Meanwhile, widespread protests erupted in Mingora, where citizens, civil society members, and political activists gathered to condemn what they described as a delayed and negligent response by the authorities during this time.

Protesters demanded a modernised rescue system with helicopter capabilities and early warning infrastructure, along with greater accountability, as reported by Dawn. (ANI)

(The story has come from a syndicated feed and has not been edited by the Tribune Staff.)