Devastating Flash Floods Wreak Havoc In Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Claim Over 300 Lives

Deadly floods have wreaked a havoc in several districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) on Friday claiming the lives of over 300 people.

The flash floods have caused severe damage to infrastructure, including roads, bridges, buildings, and electricity installations.

Several houses, structures and some schools have been destroyed, mostly in the Swat district. Other districts that have been affected include Buner, Shangla, Bajaur, Lower Dir, Battagram, and Mansehra.

The rainfall alert has been issued till August 21 in different parts of the province, Dawn reported.

Rescue 1122 teams shifted stranded people, including schoolchildren, to safety in Buner district following heavy rainfall and flash floods. Deputy Commissioner Kashif Qayyum said an emergency had been declared across the district as relief efforts continued in the calamity-hit areas.

"Helicopters are being used to carry out rescue operations in remote and inaccessible regions," he said. Qayyum added that floodwaters had submerged Pir Baba Bazaar and its neighbourhood, while a mosque in Gokand was destroyed and a large number of animals perished. Several roads were also blocked.

In Mansehra, police rescued seven tourists stranded in the upper parts of Kaghan Valley. They had visited Simicsar Lake but were trapped by rain and landslides. Rains lashed the district throughout the day, dangerously swelling the Indus, Siren, and Kunhar rivers along with their tributaries. The district administration banned tourist visits to the Siren Valley.

Landslides and uprooted trees blocked the Nawazabad and Batrasi roads, which police later cleared for traffic. Passengers and tourists travelling between Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan were stranded in Upper Kohistan after local authorities restricted movement on the Karakoram Highway in the Uchar Nullah area due to high water levels in the Indus River, Dawn reported.

Abbottabad city was severely affected, with almost all main roads inundated, creating flood-like conditions. Major arteries, including PMA Kakul Road, Mirpur Mandian Road, Supply Road, Karakoram Highway, Sethi Masjid Road, Iqbal Road, Banda Dalazak, Banda Khair Ali Khan Road, Trakana, and the Link Road near Ciena Laboratory, were submerged.

Most drainage systems were clogged, causing rainwater to overflow onto streets and enter houses, damaging goods. Traffic was paralysed for hours, especially on the KKH in front of Ayub Teaching Hospital, where swift floodwaters swept away several vehicles. Some vehicles broke down due to accumulated mud and debris.

(With inputs from ANI)

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