At least 214 people have died and several others were injured as heavy rains pounded various regions of Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir over the past 36 hours, officials confirmed on Friday, PTI reported.
The majority of the deaths were reported from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where intense rainfall led to flash floods across multiple districts.
The flooding also caused considerable damage to infrastructure, destroying numerous buildings and disrupting transportation by blocking major roads, including the Karakoram Highway and Baltistan Highway in Gilgit-Baltistan, located in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
Heavy rain in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province is likely to continue intermittently until August 21, the authorities have warned.
At least 198 people, including 14 women and 12 children, were killed and several remained missing as flash floods wreaked havoc across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa during the last 24 hours, a spokesman for the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) said.
A province-wide directive has ordered all hospitals to set up flood control rooms to ensure the continuous availability of medicines and the proper functioning of medical equipment amid the ongoing crisis.
In Gilgit-Baltistan, located in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), flash floods in the Ghizer district claimed eight lives, with two individuals still missing, officials reported. The flooding caused extensive damage, destroying over a dozen homes, vehicles, schools, and healthcare facilities. Major highways, including the Karakoram and Baltistan Highways, were blocked at multiple points.
The Neelum Valley in the northeast also experienced severe disruption. Tourists in the area were relocated to safer places, with more than 600 campers near Ratti Gali Lake advised to remain on-site after road access was cut off. Flash floods also swept away two bridges over Lawat Nullah, while the swollen Jagran Nullah destroyed another bridge in Kundal Shahi.
In Jhelum Valley, a cloudburst over Palhot triggered a flash flood that damaged part of the road network and left dozens of vehicles stranded. As the Neelum River's water level continues to rise rapidly, authorities have issued flood warnings and are preparing to evacuate at-risk riverside communities.
In Muzaffarabad district, a devastating landslide in Sarli Sacha village struck a home, burying six family members who are feared dead.
