PESHAWAR:
Torrential rains and flash floods over the past two days have left at least 18 people dead and several others missing across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan, prompting emergency responses and warnings of more rain to come.
According to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) statement on Wednesday, 13 fatalities have been reported so far in K-P alone due to rain-related incidents in the last 48 hours.
Among the deceased are nine children, three women and one man. Three others, including two children and one woman, have sustained injuries.
The PDMA’s preliminary damage report revealed that 19 houses were affected across the province, with 17 partially damaged and two completely destroyed.
The incidents were reported in the districts of Swat, Buner, Bajaur, Torghar, Upper Kohistan, Mardan, Kurram, Haripur, Mansehra, Upper Chitral, Malakand and Shangla.
Swat emerged as the worst-hit district over the past 48 hours, with flash floods and the collapse of a house claiming the lives of six children and one woman, while another woman and child sustained injuries.
In Buner, three fatalities were reported amid intense rainfall accompanied by thunder and lightning.
A woman and her child lost their lives after being struck by lightning, while an eight-year-old boy was swept away during the downpour. “The dead body has been recovered by the locals,” the PDMA confirmed.
Heavy rainfall in Bajaur led to another tragedy, where two brothers, aged 21 and five, lost their lives. “Their mother was successfully rescued while the bodies of both brothers were recovered,” the PDMA quoted the Bajaur Deputy Commissioner’s Office as saying.
Elsewhere, a woman died in Upper Kohistan and a child was injured in Torghar after the roof of a house collapsed due to persistent rain.
Meanwhile, the situation is equally dire in G-B as flash floods in the Babusar region continue to cause widespread devastation, with 10 to 15 people feared swept away and still missing.
The G-B government has urged tourists to immediately postpone travel plans to the region.
Speaking on a television program, G-B government spokesperson Faizullah Faraq confirmed that massive damage had occurred due to persistent rains and flooding. He said all stranded tourists on the Babusar route had been successfully rescued and were being provided free lodging in coordination with local hotel owners and the administration.
All routes to Naran and Kaghan remain closed, while the Karakoram Highway has been blocked at two major points, leaving thousands of travellers stranded. The Silk Route is open for small vehicles, and restoration work up to Bisham is underway at full pace.
Faraq appealed to citizens to refrain from travelling to G-B until the situation stabilises. He added that G-B chief minister will visit the worst-hit areas, including Babusar, to assess the damage and oversee relief measures.
Meanwhile, the Director General of the Meteorological Department has warned of further intense rainfall in Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Gilgit-Baltistan over the coming days.
He termed the loss of lives at Babusar Top as tragic and cautioned that the weather may cause further destruction.
In Diamer, authorities have declared an emergency after five people lost their lives due to floodwaters.
Earlier, multiple tourists were swept away at Babusar Top, and rescue operations are still underway.
Also, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) issued a warning for widespread rain-wind/thundershowers across the country on Wednesday, with the possibility of heavy to very heavy falls in various regions, triggering concerns over flash floods, urban flooding, and landslides.
According to the latest forecast, rain-wind/thundershower is expected in Kashmir, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Islamabad, Punjab, Gilgit-Baltistan, and northeast Balochistan. Southern parts of the country will remain mostly hot and humid.
The Met Office has warned of potentially hazardous conditions tonight and throughout Wednesday. Heavy rains may generate flash floods in local streams and nullahs in Chitral, Dir, Swat, Shangla, Mansehra, Kohistan, Abbottabad, Buner, Charsadda, Nowshera, Swabi, Mardan, Murree, Galliyat, Islamabad/Rawalpindi, hill torrents of Dera Ghazi Khan, northeast Punjab, and Kashmir.
Urban flooding is feared in low-lying areas of Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Lahore, Sialkot, Sargodha, Faisalabad, Okara, Nowshera, and Peshawar due to heavy downpours. Landslides and mudslides may cause road blockages in the vulnerable hilly areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Murree, Galliyat, Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan. Strong windstorms and lightning may damage weak structures such as rooftops and walls of kacha houses, electric poles, billboards, vehicles, and solar panels.
In Islamabad, partly cloudy weather with rain-wind/thundershower is expected, with chances of heavy falls.
In Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, rain-wind/thundershower is expected in Chitral, Dir, Swat, Kohistan, Battagram, Mansehra, Abbottabad, Buner, Shangla, Swat, Malakand, Peshawar, Nowshera, Swabi, Bajaur, Mardan, Kurram, Khyber, Orakzai, Hangu, Kohat, Bannu, Karak, Dera Ismail Khan and Waziristan. Heavyfalls are likely in the upper districts.
In Punjab, rain-wind/thundershower is expected in Rawalpindi, Murree, Galiyat, Chakwal, Attock, Sargodha, Khushab, Mianwali, Jhelum, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Sialkot, Narowal, Mandi Bahauddin, Hafizabad, Lahore, Sheikhupura and Shakargarh.
Isolated rain-wind/thundershower is also likely in Kasur, Jhang, Toba Tek Singh, Multan, Khanewal, Faisalabad, Layyah, Bhakkar, Dera Ghazi Khan, Sahiwal, Kot Addu, Taunsa Sharif and surrounding areas.
In Sindh, mainly hot and humid weather will persist in most parts, with partly cloudy conditions and chances of light rain or drizzle in coastal areas. In Balochistan, hot and humid weather is expected in most districts, while isolated rain-wind/thundershowers are likely in Barkhan, Kohlu, Musakhel, Loralai, Zhob, Kalat, Khuzdar, Lasbella and nearby areas. In Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan, partly cloudy weather with rain-thundershower is expected, along with heavy falls in some areas of Kashmir.
