KP grieves over 200 lives lost to floods
• Day of mourning announced after rescue chopper crashes in Mohmand; Buner reports 91 deaths, Shangla 23, Bajaur 21 and Battagram 15 fatalities as Mansehra cloudburst claims 32 lives
• Dozen killed, 15 injured in GB
• PM orders swift rescue operations in flood-hit regions
• Army offers one day’s salary, rations for flood-hit people
• Fresh rains expected in Balochistan from 18th
PESHAWAR / GILGIT: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Friday witnessed devastating scenes as flash floods caused by heavy rainfall and cloudbursts in multiple districts claimed at least 204 lives, including five crew members of a provincial government chopper that crashed in Mohmand during relief and rescue efforts.
The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), however, had confirmed 198 deaths by 8pm, with 21 others reported injured.
Buner was the worst-affected district in the province, with 91 deaths. Bajaur district reported 21 deaths, Shangla 23, Swat 11, Battagram 15, Mansehra 23, and Lower Dir 5.
However, reports regarding Mansehra district varied from the official tally, as district police confirmed 27 fatalities in the cloudburst incident in Haleem Dheri village, while five others were killed in separate rain-related incidents. Similarly, a death in Abbottabad was also not included in the official tally.
Conversely, a Rescue 1122 report, seen by Dawn, listed the death toll in Buner at 157 people, which was considerably higher than the figures provided by PDMA and the district administration. However, officials said that the toll was expected to rise.
Additional Deputy Commissioner (Relief) Buner Akram Shah told Dawn that 91 bodies had been brought to hospitals, while up to 80 others had been injured. He expressed concern that the death toll could increase substantially, as Pishwanay village in Gadegazi tehsil was almost entirely wiped out and many people were still missing.
ADC Shah narrowly survived the deluge while he was in the area overseeing the rescue of four stranded students. “When I reached Pir Baba Bazaar, the waters came gushing at us, and my official car was submerged,” he said.
He mentioned that he saved his life by climbing onto the roof of the second floor of a building. He also said that Malikpur, Gokand and Chagargazai were the worst-affected areas.
In Mansehra district, at least 32 people were killed, 27 of them in a single cloudburst incident, injuring many, and washing away dozens of houses.
At least 27 people, including women and children, have been killed or are still missing after a cloudburst struck Dehri Haleem village within the jurisdiction of Battal police station, flooding and destroying houses.
“We have recovered 16 bodies so far from the neighbouring Shimlai area of Battagram, and the search for the remaining victims continues,” District Police Officer Shafiullah Khan Gandapur told reporters.
The cloudburst left Dehri Haleem village in ruins, destroying multiple houses and sweeping them downstream.
The DPO said police and other agencies were involved in rescue efforts, and so far, 16 bodies, including men, women, and children, had been recovered from a local stream in Shimlai.
In another incident, two people were killed when a motorcar was washed away by flash floods in the Bisian area of Balakot.
A woman and her daughter were killed when their house collapsed in Garhi Habibullah. In the city area, a minor girl died after falling into a rain-swollen nullah along the Karakoram Highway. Her body was recovered by locals and handed over to her family.
In Shangla district, heavy rains resulted in 23 deaths, while eight others were injured.
Deputy Commissioner Shangla Fawad Khan told Dawn they have recovered 23 bodies from different parts of Alpuri, Puran and Chakesar tehsils in search operations following heavy flash floods.
He said the revenue staff had been deployed to the field, and additional data on casualties and losses was being gathered, while rescue operations also continued.
In Battagram district, a cloudburst that struck Malkal Gali-Neel Ban village, situated on the Battagram-Mansehra border, left 13 people dead, with eight others still missing.
Assistant Commissioner Battagram Muhammad Saleem Khan confirmed 20 people went missing due to the cloudburst, with 12 bodies recovered. Search for the remaining eight continues with rescue teams and revenue staff working tirelessly.
Rescue 1122 official Aziz Khan said the cloudburst affected the upper areas of Union Council Shimlai Battagram, including Neel Ban, Sarim and Malakal Gali. Rescue efforts faced challenges from intermittent rain and loss of mobile coverage.
In Bajaur district, 21 people died after a cloudburst caused flash floods and landslides, destroying four houses in Salarzai tehsil.
Locals told Dawn the disaster happened around 11:30pm in Jibrari, 30km east of Khar, during heavy rain, sweeping away four houses with sleeping residents, Zamin Shah said.
Amjad Khan, the district emergency officer, said they retrieved 19 bodies, including women and children, in the operation until Friday evening. He said two people were still missing.
In Swat, at least nine people lost their lives and three others are missing after heavy rain, cloudbursts, and landslides caused flash floods across the district. About 20 people have been injured in the incidents.
A lightning strike in Yakh Tangey, Bishbanr area of Manglawar destroyed three houses, trapping residents under the debris.
The District Police Officer’s spokesperson, Moin Fayaz, confirmed the recovery of five bodies and stated that the search operation for the missing was ongoing.
Additionally, five people died in a roof collapse incident in the Suri Pao area of Maidan on Friday morning.
A death was reported in Abbottabad district, where a schoolgirl was swept away while trying to cross an overflowing seasonal stream near the village of Tajwal in Galiyat.
Meanwhile, the KP government announced a day of mourning for the crew of its helicopter that crashed in Mohmand district during a rescue operation related to the flood in Bajaur district. A notification issued by the establishment department stated that on Saturday, the national flag would be flown at half-mast.
GB hit by floods
Meanwhile, Gilgit-Baltistan was struck by unprecedented flash floods on Friday, causing widespread destruction and claiming at least 12 lives, with 15 others reported injured. The majority of casualties were in Ghizer district, where homes, crops and infrastructure were swept away.
In Ghizer, flash floods in Daen village destroyed 20 homes and killed two people. The floods also damaged agricultural land, crops and a vital bridge, cutting off the area’s 15,000 residents from the rest of the region.
According to GB spokesperson Faizullah Faraq, cloudburst-induced floods hit 37 locations across Ghizer, including Khalti, Yasin, Gupis and Ishkoman.
Over three dozen households were displaced and eight people, including women and children, were killed. Public and private infrastructure, including roads, bridges and irrigation channels, was severely damaged.
Flooding from the Shishper Glacier continued to devastate downstream areas in Hassanabad, Hunza. The Gilgit-Baltistan Disaster Management Authority (GBDMA) reported that erosion caused by the glacier lake outburst floods displaced more families and destroyed homes. Four additional houses were submerged, and farmland was severely impacted.
Zubair Ahmed Khan, assistant director for GBDMA in Hunza and Nagar, told Dawn that six houses, previously evacuated for safety, were submerged on Friday. Erosion in the area is ongoing and traffic has been diverted to Sas Valley in Nagar due to submerged sections of the KKH.
In the Ghanche district, heavy floods blocked the Saltoro River and Siachen Road, damaging electricity poles and putting bridges at risk of collapse. The Haldi Iron Bridge is in immediate danger. Thousands, including tourists, have been stranded as mobile and internet services remain cut off.
Flash floods in Hoper Valley have damaged both private and public infrastructure, cutting off the valley from other areas. Similarly, roads in Hisper Valley are at risk, and Chipurson in Gojal has been disconnected for over a week after rising waters in the Khunjerab River damaged vital roadways. Communication and electricity services have also been suspended in the area.
The Bagrot area of Gilgit was also cut off from other regions as the connecting bridge was swept away by the flood. About 250 metres of the Chilam Road in Astore was blocked, causing traffic to be suspended.
PM Office cell
A special cell has been established at the Prime Minister’s Office to maintain round-the-clock communication with the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said in a statement on Friday.
Separately, army chief Field Marshall Asim Munir ordered the dispatching of additional military contingents to help with efforts to rehabilitate KP’s flood-affected people.
According to APP, the Pakistan Army has also donated one day’s salary and one day’s ration — amounting to over 600 tonnes — for the flood-hit people of the province.
He also directed the Engineers Corps to complete the repair of damaged bridges and establish temporary crossings where necessary.
Balochistan warnings
Meanwhile, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has warned the Balochistan government to take emergency measures to prepare for a new spell of monsoon rains in the province, which will start from Aug 18 and continue until Aug 22.
The Met Office predicted that heavy rainfall with thunderstorms could affect Quetta, Barkhan, Musakhail, Harnai and Sibi, while Zhob, Sherani, Qila Saifullah, Khuzdar and Kachhi might experience torrential downpours.
“Thunderstorms with heavy rain are likely to hit Lasbela, Hub, Awaran, Kech, Gwadar and Panjgur,” the department said.
Fazal Khaliq in Swat, Anwarullah Khan in Bajaur, Humayun Babar in Battagram, Nisar Ahmed Khan in Mansehra, Umar Bacha in Shangla, Haleem Asad in Lower Dir, Rashid Javed in Abbottabad and Saleem Shahid in Quetta also contributed to this report
Published in Dawn, August 16th, 2025
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