At least 307 people have died and 23 wounded over Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) after heavy rain and flash floods destroyed several regions over the past 48 hours, Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) said on Saturday.
Buner was the worst hit district with 184 fatalities, followed by Shangla with 36, Bajaur 21, Mansehra 23, SWAT 22, Battagtram 15, Lower Dir Five and Abbottabad One, according to PDMA.
The report said the deceased included 279 men, 15 women and 13 children. Infrastructure loss was also registered with 63 houses fully damaged and 74 partly damaged with schools and bridges that were flushed away in several districts.
Rescue operations are underway in Buner, where the effort continues over three tehsils.
Reports suggest that more people are trapped under waste, says a rescue speaker. The operation continued all night, and waste removal has begun in the affected areas.
Meanwhile, flooding information operations from Pakistan Army and Frontier Corps are on Buner, SWAT and Bajaur. Army teams remain engaged in relief activities in flood districts. Helicopters provide rations and other important supplies, while evacuations to safe locations are underway.
Additional Army quotas have been sent to participate in the efforts. The operation will continue until all affected people are safely rescued and moved, the military said.
National response mobilized
National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has sent a team to Peshawar to oversee emergency relief operations in flooding areas in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) at the Directives of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Read: Deadly river destroys kp
According to NDMA, full support is provided to the provincial government, including the supply of relief. The NDMA chairman informed the Prime Minister about the situation last night.
NDMA stated that it is in constant coordination with civil and military institutions and monitors the ongoing relief effort around the clock. It warned of an increased risk of landslide in northern areas due to expected rain and encouraged people to remain cautious. Tourists have been asked to avoid traveling to the region for the next five to six days.
Chopper goes down in bad weather
A KP government helicopter that provided flooding supplies crashed into a tribal district yesterday and killed all five crew members, provincial officials said.
The MI-17 aircraft went down to the Mohmand district while on his way to the flooding Salarzai area of the Bajaur District, after losing contact in bad weather, Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur told journalists. The dead included two pilots.
Search Teams later placed the wreck in Pandiali Tehsil from Mohmand, CM Gandapur said, confirming that there were no survivors. The provincial government declared a mourning day of flags to be winged to half -mast, saying the crew would be buried with full state of state.
“These individuals lost their lives while helping others during this crisis,” said the minister of chief. “Their victim will be remembered.”
