A deluge of biblical proportions struck upcountry areas as monsoon rains, cloudbursts and landslides wreaked havoc, claiming more than 200 lives in just 24 hours, officials reported on Friday — a catastrophe survivors likened to the 'doomsday'.
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) bore the brunt of the disaster of apocalyptic scale, with Buner district at the eye of the storm. Entire communities were swept off their feet, homes demolished and entire families lost in the blink of an eye.
The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) issued a grim update late on Friday evening, confirming 194 fatalities nationwide. Of these, 180 were recorded in K-P, nine in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and five in the northern Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) region.
Among the victims were at least 19 women and 17 children, with most deaths resulting from collapsing houses and the sudden, punishing surge of flash floods, the NDMA said. Dozens of other people were reported injured across the province.
However, despatches from our correspondents in various areas of K-P suggested a cumulative death toll of 214 in the province, so far — 157 in the Buner district alone. Some media report also put higher death tolls of 10 in G-B and 19 in AJK.
Buner emerged as the hardest hit, with K-P Chief Secretary Shahab Ali Shah confirming 100 deaths. The deputy commissioner declared flood emergencies in the subdivisions of Daggar, Gadezai, Gagra, Mandanr and Chagharzai, as rescue teams battled against time and raging waters to save lives.
The human cost of the disaster is immense, with harrowing stories of survival and loss emerging from the wreckage.
"I heard a loud noise as if the mountain was sliding. I rushed outside and saw the entire area shaking. I thought it was doomsday," recounted Buner-resident Azizullah.
In the tribal district of Bajaur, bordering Afghanistan, a cloudburst and lightning strike around midnight in the village of Jabrai, Salarzai tehsil, brought utter annihilation. Four houses were demolished, killing 21 people and injuring five others.
Rescue teams, braving treacherous conditions, have recovered most of the victims, though two remain missing. The tragedy was compounded by the fact that entire families were lost; the deceased included eight members of one family and five members each from two other families.
AFP photos from the scene captured the sombre reality: a crowd gathered around an excavator digging through a mud-soaked hill, while nearby, funeral prayers were held in a paddock for several bodies covered by blankets.
Bajaur Deputy Commissioner Shahid Ali confirmed that 19 bodies had been recovered. Rescue efforts were severely hampered by fast-flowing water, rising river levels, and landslides that blocked road access for heavy machinery.
On the Mansehra-Battagram boundary, a cloudburst over the village of Dheri Haleem Neelban in the Shimlai area resulted in one of the deadliest single incidents. More than 25 deaths have been confirmed after lightning strikes and flash floods destroyed 10 houses, washing them into the raging Nandhar stream.
Sixteen bodies, including women and children, have been recovered from various spots along the stream, with search operations continuing for the missing. Most of the deceased are reported to be from the same family.
The broader Mansehra district witnessed multiple tragedies. In Balakot's Nala Khareela Bassi, a car was swept away, killing two occupants. In Khairabad, a house collapse claimed the lives of a mother and her young daughter.
Shangla district is reeling from flash floods and lightning strikes that have swept away more than 20 people, with many still missing and over 50 injured. In one heartbreaking incident, seven members of the same family perished.
The infrastructure has been decimated, with homes, shops, and even graveyards damaged. The main Alpuri-Bisham highway was washed away in two locations, cutting off access to many areas. The district was plunged into darkness after over 35 main power towers were damaged.
Tehsil Puran is reported to be the worst-hit area, with localities like Kozpau, Alloch, and Choga submerged for the first time in memory. In Mansehra, police rescued seven tourists trapped by heavy rain at Lake Samahk Sar. In Swat, rescuers saved six people stranded in the Swat River.
National response mobilised
In response to the escalating crisis, the K-P government declared the severely affected mountainous districts of Buner, Bajaur, Mansehra, and Battagram as disaster-hit areas, and announced Saturday as a day of mourning.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif convened an emergency meeting to review the flood situation, where he was briefed by NDMA Chairman Lt Gen Inam Haider Malik. He directed the NDMA to utilise all available resources to support the K-P government in relief and rescue efforts.
The NDMA is actively coordinating a massive response involving the PDMA, Pakistan Army, district administrations, and Rescue 1122. Army Chief Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir issued special instructions for the rehabilitation of flood-affected people in K-P.
According to security sources, the army chief said that the troops deployed in K-P would extend full assistance in the rehabilitation of flood-affected people. In this regard, additional military contingents were also being dispatched.
They further stated that the army chief instructed the Corps of Engineers to complete bridge repair work as soon as possible and install temporary bridges where necessary. The army's Rescue Sniffing Dog Unit was also being dispatched for search and rescue operations.
Besides, a special Urban Search and Rescue team had also been deployed on the Army Chief's orders, the sources confirmed, adding that army helicopters and the Army Aviation assets had already been deployed for the rehabilitation of flood-affected people.
The Pakistan Army has donated one day's salary and allocated one day's ration - amounting to over 600 tons — for the relief assistance of the flood-affected people of K-P. "The Pakistan Army stands shoulder to shoulder with the brave people of K-P in every moment of hardship," a source said.
More rain forecast
The ordeal in K-P is far from over. The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has forecast more rain for Saturday (today), with heavy falls expected in upper K-P, the Potohar region and the Kashmir region.
Authorities warned that further rains could cause more flooding in local streams and rivers and trigger additional landslides in the vulnerable hilly areas of K-P, G-B, Murree and AJK. A PDMA official noted that this year's monsoon season began earlier and is expected to end later. "The next 15 days... the intensity of the monsoon will further exacerbate," he warned.
Elsewhere, heavy rains also crippled infrastructure in G-B, where landslides blocked the crucial Jaglot-Skardu Road at four separate points. The National Highway Authority (NHA) has deployed teams for clearance operations, which are being monitored around the clock.
Authorities have urged the public to remain vigilant, avoid rivers and streams and refrain from unnecessary travel. Tourists, in particular, have been advised not to visit northern regions for the next five to six days as Pakistan braces for more rain while mourning a devastating loss of life.
PM orders immediate relief, rescue operation
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday held an emergency meeting to review the flood situation in the country due to recent rains.
Chairman National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Lieutenant General Inam Haider Malik briefed the Prime Minister on the damage caused by cloudbursts and flash floods in the upper parts of the country and about the rescue and relief operation.
The Prime Minister directed the NDMA to continue its cooperation with the provincial government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) to provide them with all possible support in the rescue and relief operation by utilizing all the available resources.
He directed the Chairman NDMA to enhance coordination with the provincial government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for rescue and relief activities.
Tents, medicines, food items and other relief materials should be delivered to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government immediately, he said adding relief supplies should be sent through trucks on priority basis.
He ordered that people and tourists stranded in flood-affected areas should be immediately taken to safer places.
During the meeting, the Prime Minister was briefed on the progress of rescue and relief operations along with an assessment of the damages.
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister held a telephone conversation with Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Faisal Karim Kundi and Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ali Amin Gandapur.
He said NDMA has been directed to provide all possible assistance to the provincial government in rescue and relief operations.
"The federal government will provide all possible assistance to the provincial government," he remarked.
He told the chief minister that the federal government was sending medicines, tents and food items.
"Our sympathies are with the victims in this difficult time," he added.
(WITH INPUTS FROM AGENCIES)
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