Pakistan floods kill 243, Buner worst hit with 157 deaths; relief helicopter crashes

A neighborhood of Mingora, the main town of Swat Valley, northwestern Pakistan (AP photo)

Flash floods caused by heavy rains have killed at least 243 people in Pakistan, with dozens still missing. The worst hit was Buner district in the northwest, where 157 people died on Friday after homes and villages were swept away. Authorities declared a state of emergency in Buner as rescuers, using boats and helicopters, struggled to reach stranded families. Ambulances carried more than 100 bodies to hospitals. In neighbouring Mansehra district, emergency teams worked through Thursday night to rescue around 2,000 tourists trapped by flash floods and landslides in the Siran Valley.A helicopter carrying relief supplies crashed in Bajaur due to bad weather, killing all five on board, including two pilots. Pakistan’s prime minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed the disaster-management authority to evacuate affected families and tourists. Pakistan’s disaster agency has now issued fresh warnings about glacial lake outburst floods in the north and advised travellers to stay away from risky areas. Since June 26, rain-related disasters have killed at least 556 people across the country, according to the national disaster management authority. Pakistan-occupied Gilgit-Baltistan region has also seen repeated floods since July, with landslides blocking the Karakoram highway. Experts say such cloudbursts and floods are becoming more common due to climate change. A new study found rainfall in Pakistan this monsoon was 10–15% heavier because of global warming, according to news agency Associated Press. In 2022, Pakistan faced its worst monsoon disaster, which killed more than 1,700 people and caused damage worth billions of dollars.