Rescuers and residents resumed searching for survivors on Tuesday, August 19, as the death toll from five days of torrential rain rose to almost 400 and authorities warned monsoon downpours would continue until the weekend. Torrential rains across Pakistan's north have caused flooding and landslides that have swept away entire villages, leaving many residents trapped in the rubble and scores missing.
The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said 356 people were killed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a mountainous province in Pakistan's northwest bordering Afghanistan, since Thursday evening. Dozens more were killed in surrounding regions, taking the toll in the past five days to almost 400. More than 700 people have been killed in the monsoon rains since June 26, the NDMA said, with close to 1,000 injured. The monsoon is expected to last until mid-September.
Rescuers dug through mud and stone in hard-hit Dalori village in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the hope of finding survivors and the bodies of people missing. Villagers stood watching and praying as the rescuers worked, a day after the search was halted by more intense rain. Many roads have been damaged, making it hard for rescuers to reach areas damaged by the floods. Communication also remains difficult, with phone networks hit in flood-affected areas.
Heavy rain also began falling on Tuesday in southern parts of Pakistan that had so far been spared the worst of the monsoon downpours. The rain was expected to continue until Saturday, and "another spell is to start by the end of the month," said NDMA chairman Lieutenant General Inam Haider Malik. Authorities also warned of urban flooding in big cities in coastal areas of Sindh province, including the financial capital Karachi. It has also been raining in 15 districts in neighboring Balochistan province, and the main highway connecting it with Sindh has been blocked for heavy vehicles, said provincial disaster official Muhammad Younis.
Landslides and flash floods are common during the monsoon season, which typically begins in June and lasts until the end of September. Pakistan is among the world's most vulnerable countries to the effects of climate change and is increasingly facing extreme weather events. Monsoon floods submerged one-third of Pakistan in 2022, resulting in approximately 1,700 deaths.