The death toll from torrential monsoon rains in northern Pakistan has risen to almost 400, with rescuers racing against time to find survivors trapped under rubble and mud.
Authorities warned that downpours will continue through the week, according to a report by Agence France-Presse (AFP).
The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said at least 356 people were killed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province since Thursday, while dozens more died in neighboring regions.
Entire villages were swept away in flash floods and landslides, leaving scores missing.
In Dalori village, rescuers resumed digging through collapsed homes as residents stood by in silence and prayer.
“Our misery is beyond explanation,” said Umar Islam, 31, who lost his father on Monday. “In a matter of minutes, we lost everything we had. Our lives are ruined,” he told AFP.
Another villager, 37-year-old Fazal Akbar, described the flooding as “terrifying.” He recalled, “It happened so suddenly that no one even had a minute to react.
Announcements were made from the mosque, and villagers rushed to begin the rescue themselves. In less than 20 minutes, our village was reduced to ruins.”
Relief operations have been slowed by damaged roads and collapsed phone networks. Heavy rains also began pounding southern Sindh province, with meteorologists warning of urban flooding in Karachi “due to weak infrastructure.”
In Balochistan, floods damaged dozens of homes and blocked highways, officials said.
NDMA chairman Lieutenant General Inam Haider Malik said the rains are expected to continue until Saturday, with “another spell… to start by the end of the month.”
More than 700 people have died and nearly 1,000 have been injured since the monsoon season began in late June.
Pakistan remains one of the world’s most climate-vulnerable countries, where extreme weather is becoming increasingly frequent.
In 2022, floods submerged a third of the country and killed about 1,700 people.
