Rescuers look for 150 people still missing in Pakistan’s northwest following devastating floods
PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — Rescuers are looking for more than 150 people who were still missing on Monday in northwestern Pakistan, where scores died after the area was struck by a cloudburst. A senior politician blamed locals for the high death toll, saying people should have built their homes elsewhere.
Search operations have been extended to remote areas to find residents swept away by floods that hit the mountainous district of Buner in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Friday, said emergency services spokesman Mohammad Suhail. The army has deployed engineers and heavy machinery to clear the rubble.
The death toll in Buner reached 277 on Monday after rescuers recovered three bodies, Suhail said.
Villagers have accused officials of not telling them to evacuate ahead of flooding and landslides. There was no warning broadcast from mosque loudspeakers, a traditional method for alerting emergencies in remote areas.
However, the government insists that while an early warning system was in place, the sudden downpour was so intense that the deluge struck before residents could be informed.
Provincial chief minister Ali Amin Gandapur said Sunday that many of the deaths could have been avoided had residents not built homes along waterways and riverbanks. He added that the government would encourage displaced families to relocate to safer areas, where they would be assisted in rebuilding their homes.
Pakistan has seen higher-than-normal monsoon rains since June 26, killing at least 645 people across the country, with 400 deaths in the northwest.
The National Disaster Management Authority issued an alert for further flooding after new rains began Sunday in many parts of the country.
The U.N. humanitarian agency said it has mobilized groups in hard-hit areas, where damaged roads and communication lines have cut off communities. Relief agencies are providing food, water and other aid while preparing for longer-term recovery efforts.
Flooding has also hit India-administered Kashmir, where at least 67 people were killed and dozens remain missing after flash floods swept through the region during an annual Hindu pilgrimage.
U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres expressed deep sorrow on Sunday over the loss of life in Pakistan and India, while Pope Leo XIV offered condolences after praying the Angelus in Castel Gandolfo
Pakistan remains highly vulnerable to climate-related disasters. In 2022, catastrophic floods linked to climate change killed nearly 1,700 people and left hundreds of thousands homeless.