Torrential rains claim 189 lives in K-P, five die in rescue helicopter crash

باجوڑ کے بارشوں سے متاثرہ علاقوں میں امدادی سامان لے جانے والا صوبائی حکومت کا ایم آئی 17 ہیلی کاپٹر خراب موسم کی وجہ سے کریش کر گیا۔ اس افسوسناک حادثے میں دو پائلٹ سمیت عملے کے پانچ افراد شہید ہوئے۔
وزیر اعلیٰ خیبر پختونخوا علی امین گنڈاپور

K- P Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, in a statement issued late Thursday, confirmed the tragedy. He said the helicopter had been en route to flood-stricken areas when it vanished from radar while still in Mohmand’s airspace.

“All efforts were made to re-establish contact with the helicopter, and immediate directives were issued to dispatch ground teams to the suspected crash site,” the chief minister said.

He added that a second helicopter was simultaneously conducting rescue operations in Buner district.

CM Gandapur announced that the provincial government will observe a day of mourning on Friday, during which the national flag will fly at half-mast across K-P.

Read More: 10 perish as flood fury ravages AJK, G-B

“These brave souls sacrificed their lives while attempting to save others. They are our true heroes, and their sacrifice will be written in golden letters in the history of this nation,” he stated.

The deceased personnel will be laid to rest with full state honours, and rescue teams have been deployed to the crash site to recover the remains and assess the wreckage. An investigation into the incident is currently underway.

PM sets up flood cell

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed an immediate and robust response in all affected areas, including Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), while a special emergency cell has been established at the Prime Minister's Office to coordinate ongoing rescue and relief operations

Federal Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said the premier had instructed the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) to scale up operations in flood-hit parts of K- P and AJK, and maintain close coordination with local governments to accelerate relief efforts.

“Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is fully apprised of the situation and is issuing instructions for timely interventions,” the minister said, adding that the premier has visited the NDMA headquarters three times during the current monsoon spell to personally review rescue and relief efforts.

He said the government’s priority remains the protection of human lives and the provision of immediate assistance to the affected populations. All institutions engaged in emergency operations in KP are deploying maximum resources, while NDMA continues to provide early warnings and situation updates to provincial authorities, including K-P.

Separately, following the directive of Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, the provincial government has released Rs500 million for districts affected by heavy rains and flash floods.

According to an official statement, Rs150 million has been allocated to Bunir, Rs100 million each to Bajaur, Battagram, and Mansehra, and Rs50 million to Swat.

PDMA said that under the chief minister’s special instructions, all relevant departments have been directed to expedite relief efforts, with PDMA teams and district administrations maintaining close coordination to continuously monitor the situation.

Buner, Bajaur among worst-hit districts

The monsoon rains, which have lashed the province over the past week, have caused widespread destruction in multiple districts, with Bajaur, Buner and Battagram among the worst affected.

In Bajaur’s Salarzai tehsil, a cloudburst on Thursday triggered heavy flooding, leaving at least 21 people dead, including women and children. Deputy Commissioner Bajaur Shahid Ali confirmed that 18 bodies had been recovered, while rescue teams continued search efforts for those missing. Four houses were destroyed in the deluge, he said.

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DC Shahid said rescue teams comprising divers, medical personnel, and disaster response units were dispatched to the area immediately, despite roads being rendered impassable by landslides.

Relief efforts were carried out on foot in several cases. Heavy machinery has since been deployed to clear debris and facilitate search operations. In a coordinated response, Frontier Corps North also delivered tents and relief goods via helicopter.

خیبرپختونخوا کے وزیر کھیل و امور نوجوانان سید فخرجہان نے ڈگر ہسپتال بونیر کا ہنگامی دورہ کیا، زخمیوں کی عیادت کی اور ہسپتال انتظامیہ کو ہدایت دی کہ علاج میں کوئی کمی نہ ہو۔ وزیر نے مریضوں کی جلد شفایابی اور جاں بحق افراد کے درجات کی بلندی کے لیے دعا بھی کی۔ pic.twitter.com/0onMYYdiLk

In Buner district, authorities declared a state of emergency as Peer Baba and surrounding areas experienced severe flooding. Residents were left stranded on rooftops waiting for assistance.

Deputy Commissioner Buner confirmed 78 fatalities and lauded the heroism of local youth who risked their lives to rescue a visiting family from Punjab.

“Such acts of courage are rare,” he said, adding that swift response teams were working to move affected residents to safer locations.

The Peer Baba police station was inundated, while a mosque in Gokand was swept away by floodwaters. Dozens of livestock were also lost in the district.

خیبر پختونخوا میں سیلابی صورتحال کے دوران ریسکیو اور ریلیف آپریشنز بھرپور انداز میں جاری ہیں۔ ضلع دیر لوئر کے علاقے میدہ میں سیلابی ریلے میں پھنسے 2 بچوں کو ضلعی انتظامیہ اور ریسکیو 1122 کی بروقت کارروائی سے بحفاظت نکال لیا گیا۔#KPFloodUpdates #Rescue1122 #DirLower pic.twitter.com/mV0wmLKzEW

In Battagram’s Neel Band area, at least 10 people were killed and 16 reported missing after a flash flood. Assistant Commissioner Saleem Khan said search and rescue operations were ongoing, with emergency teams deployed across the district.

Elsewhere, in Balakot’s Mahan Dari area, three labourers from Dir—Naveedullah, Sajad, and Ayaan Khan—were rescued after being trapped between two torrents following a sudden surge in water levels. They had been returning from turbine maintenance work when the flood hit.

Read: Rs2b earmarked for Bajaur rehabilitation

Swat district also witnessed extensive damage. Heavy rainfall washed away a 400-metre stretch of the Malam Jabba road near Gul Maira, prompting authorities to urge tourists to postpone travel. Floodwaters from Mingora Khwar inundated homes and businesses in Makan Bagh and Malak Baba, leading to mass evacuations.

Rising water levels in the Swat River prompted the district administration to issue warnings, advising the public to stay away from riverbanks and avoid unnecessary travel. The situation remained critical in Mingora, Charbagh, Khwazakhela, Matta, and Barikot tehsils.

In Manglor’s Besbanr area, lightning struck several houses during a storm, killing a young girl and leaving others missing.

سیلاب اپڈیٹ! بونیر سیلاب میں پہنسے لوگوں کو پولیس ٹرک کے ذریعے محفوظ مقامات پر پہنچایا جارہا ہے۔#KPFloodUpdates pic.twitter.com/FSGNx0ye9Z

Meanwhile, 15 people stranded on an island in the Swat River near Munda Headworks were successfully rescued by emergency personnel. Authorities said the group had been collecting firewood, fishing, and foraging for fodder when the river suddenly swelled.

Rescue operations also continued in Upper and Lower Dir, where dozens of tourists had become trapped in swollen streams in Shahi and Shahi Kot. Over 25 individuals were safely rescued, while two more stranded persons were pulled from floodwaters in Maidan Hayasere (Reedgai Bridge) by Rescue 1122’s water response teams.

Officials have warned that heavy rainfall is expected to persist across the province until August 21, with vulnerable areas facing heightened risks of additional flooding and landslides.

Mourners offer funeral prayers for flood victims in Pakistan's Bajaur district. Photo: AFP

Syed Muhammad Tayyab Shah, a representative of the national disaster agency, told AFP that this year's monsoon season began earlier than usual and is expected to end later.

"The next 15 days, particularly from August 16 till the 30th of August, the intensity of the monsoon will further exacerbate," he added.

Scientists say that climate change has made weather events around the world more extreme and more frequent.

Pakistan is one of the world's most vulnerable countries to the effects of climate change, and its population is contending with extreme weather events with increasing frequency.

Residents gather after a road was blocked by a fallen tree amid heavy rains in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistani Kashmir, August 15, 2025. Photo: Reuters

The torrential rains that have pounded Pakistan since the start of the summer monsoon, described as "unusual" by authorities, have killed more than 320 people, nearly half of them children.

In July, Punjab, home to nearly half of Pakistan's 255 million people, recorded 73 percent more rainfall than the previous year and more deaths than in the entire previous monsoon.

In 2022, monsoon floods submerged a third of the country and killed 1,700 people.