Pakistan Expands Rescue and Relief Efforts After Flash Floods Kill Over 200 in Buner District
Rescue workers are expanding relief operations after flash floods killed more than 220 people in northwestern Pakistan's Buner district.
BUNER: In northwestern Pakistan, rescue workers have expanded their relief efforts following a series of tragic events triggered by severe flash floods in Buner, a mountainous district within Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
The catastrophe occurred on Friday when cloudbursts and heavy monsoon downpours led to the flooding of numerous areas and landslides.
According to an emergency services spokesman based in Buner, Mohammad Sohail, more than half of the damaged roads have now been cleared, facilitating the movement of vehicles and heavy machinery into isolated villages that were cut off by the floods.
The rescue crews are diligently working to clear debris and rubble from the affected areas.
They have begun using heavy machinery to remove collapsed homes after receiving reports of missing family members.
In one particularly harrowing incident, 24 members of a single family perished in Qadar Nagar when their home was inundated by floodwaters on the eve of a wedding.
Umar Khan, the head of the family, managed to survive as he was away from home at the time; however, four of his relatives remain unaccounted for.
In response to these devastating events, Provincial Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur announced that families who lost loved ones will receive compensation of 2 million rupees each.
Additionally, tents, food supplies, and clean drinking water are being distributed to prevent outbreaks of waterborne diseases.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is closely monitoring the relief operations and has directed for faster distribution of aid, immediate evacuation of stranded individuals, and intensified searches for those still missing.
The disaster management authority in Pakistan has issued a warning about potential further deluges and landslides between August 17th and 19th.
They have urged local administrations to remain vigilant.
The country has been experiencing higher-than-normal monsoon rains since June 26th, leading to over 600 deaths thus far.
Pakistan is particularly susceptible to climate-induced disasters.
In 2022, a record-breaking monsoon resulted in nearly 1,700 fatalities and the destruction of millions of homes.
The region frequently suffers from both flash floods and landslides during the monsoon season, which spans June through September, particularly impacting the rugged northwest where many villages are situated on steep slopes and riverbanks.
Experts have attributed the increasing frequency and severity of these extreme weather events in South Asia to climate change.
In Indian-controlled Kashmir, recent torrential rains caused flash floods that claimed at least seven lives and injured five others.
Rescue operations are currently underway in this region.
Additionally, in Kishtwar district, teams continue their efforts to locate dozens missing since the area was hit by flash floods three days prior, resulting in over 60 deaths and approximately 50 individuals critically injured.
The catastrophe occurred on Friday when cloudbursts and heavy monsoon downpours led to the flooding of numerous areas and landslides.
According to an emergency services spokesman based in Buner, Mohammad Sohail, more than half of the damaged roads have now been cleared, facilitating the movement of vehicles and heavy machinery into isolated villages that were cut off by the floods.
The rescue crews are diligently working to clear debris and rubble from the affected areas.
They have begun using heavy machinery to remove collapsed homes after receiving reports of missing family members.
In one particularly harrowing incident, 24 members of a single family perished in Qadar Nagar when their home was inundated by floodwaters on the eve of a wedding.
Umar Khan, the head of the family, managed to survive as he was away from home at the time; however, four of his relatives remain unaccounted for.
In response to these devastating events, Provincial Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur announced that families who lost loved ones will receive compensation of 2 million rupees each.
Additionally, tents, food supplies, and clean drinking water are being distributed to prevent outbreaks of waterborne diseases.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is closely monitoring the relief operations and has directed for faster distribution of aid, immediate evacuation of stranded individuals, and intensified searches for those still missing.
The disaster management authority in Pakistan has issued a warning about potential further deluges and landslides between August 17th and 19th.
They have urged local administrations to remain vigilant.
The country has been experiencing higher-than-normal monsoon rains since June 26th, leading to over 600 deaths thus far.
Pakistan is particularly susceptible to climate-induced disasters.
In 2022, a record-breaking monsoon resulted in nearly 1,700 fatalities and the destruction of millions of homes.
The region frequently suffers from both flash floods and landslides during the monsoon season, which spans June through September, particularly impacting the rugged northwest where many villages are situated on steep slopes and riverbanks.
Experts have attributed the increasing frequency and severity of these extreme weather events in South Asia to climate change.
In Indian-controlled Kashmir, recent torrential rains caused flash floods that claimed at least seven lives and injured five others.
Rescue operations are currently underway in this region.
Additionally, in Kishtwar district, teams continue their efforts to locate dozens missing since the area was hit by flash floods three days prior, resulting in over 60 deaths and approximately 50 individuals critically injured.
