PESHAWAR: With torrential rains triggering flash floods in various parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, eight people were killed in separate incidents on Monday.
The deaths were reported in Mansehra, Lower Chitral, Lower Dir and Swabi.
In Mansehra, flash floods caused by a cloudburst on Monday wreaked havoc in the Buzballa Narak village in Siren Valley, sweeping away three schoolgirls. Bodies of two girls were recovered afterward.
“People present nearby rescued one girl, while the bodies of the other two were recovered from the flooded stream in the Jabori area,” SHO of the Shinkiari police station Tariq Khan told reporters.
Hazara authorities issue evacuation orders for families living by nullahs, rivers
He said the girls included seven-year-old Sania Bibi, 12-year-old Aiman Bibi and seven-year-old Faiza Bibi, who were taken away by raging flood waters as they crossed a stream in Siren Valley on their return from school.
Residents rescued Faiza Bibi and shifted her to a nearby health centre, where she was admitted.
SHO Tariq, who rushed to the area along with police constables, said the stream, which mostly remained dry, had swollen due to cloudburst and monsoon rains, which also inundated the nearby areas.
“This muddy torrent also brought boulders and rocks to the local artery, hampering the traffic flow,” he said.
In another rain-related incident that occurred in the Kholian area of Balakot tehsil, the landslide detached from a roadside mountain and rolled down onto a car bound for Qalandarabad area in Abbottabad, leaving travellers Mohammad Rameez and two women critically injured. The injured were rushed to the tehsil headquarters hospital in Balakot but doctors pronounced Rameez dead. The women were referred to the King Abdullah Teaching Hospital in Mansehra for further treatment.
Rescue 1122 had repeatedly announced on loudspeakers that due to monsoon rains, water levels in the Siren River and streams in the area can suddenly rise dangerously, sweeping away whatever comes in their way.
Meanwhile, the district administrations in upper parts of Hazara Division have ordered families settled along streams and rivers to move to safety during the ongoing monsoon season.
According to Rescue 1122, two people lost lives in Lower Chitral district.
Spokesman for Rescue 1122 Bilal Ahmad Faizi told Dawn that one body was recovered from Broz Nullah in Drosh, while another person went missing after a flash flood.
Residents told Dawn that the nullah flooding caused by heavy rain on Monday afternoon washed away two bridges in the village in addition to a filling station and a University of Chitral bus.
Residents said the flooding in Gahiret Gol had blocked the flow of the River Chitral. Announcements were made on loudspeakers in the Drosh downstream town, urging people living nearby to leave their homes due to flood threat.
The flooding in Broz Gol also washed away fibre optic cable, disconnecting districts from the internet.
Similarly, Jughoor Gol, which had witnessed heavy flooding a day ago, was flooded again on Monday. However, no casualties were reported.
Also, the floods destroyed two high-tension power pylons in Dom Shughoor area. They supplied electricity to Upper Chitral.
According to Rescue 1122, a boy was washed away in a flash flood in Samar Bagh area of Lower Dir district.
In Swabi, teenager Mohammad Ali was killed by flooding in Topi Badri nullah.
Spokesman for Rescue 1122 Luqman Khan said that workers were struggling to find the body due to heavy waterflow.
He said the medical and diving teams of Rescue 1122 rushed to the area soon after learning about the incident and began the search.
Published in Dawn, August 4th, 2026
