Several northern Pakistan regions declared disaster zones as floods kill 159 in KP

The death toll from devastating floods in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province has climbed to 159, with another seven fatalities reported in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, according to disaster management officials.

Provincial Disaster Management Authority spokesperson Anwar Shahzad told Nukta that Buner district has reported the highest number of deaths, followed by Bajaur, Battagram, Mansehra, Swat, Shangla, and Lower Dir.

“Buner has reported 91 fatalities, followed by 21 in Bajaur, 15 in Battagram, 14 in Mansehra, 11 in Swat, two in Shangla and five in Lower Dir,” Shahzad said.

Kashif Qayum, deputy commissioner of Buner, told Nukta that 91 deaths had so far been confirmed in the district. “Seventy-two bodies were shifted to the Tehsil Headquarters Hospital in Pir Baba, 12 to the District Headquarters Hospital, five to the Basic Health Unit in Chagharzi and two to Gagra,” he said.

Qayum warned that the death toll was likely to rise, with many people still missing. Authorities have declared a flood emergency in Daggar, Gadezai, Gagra, Mandanr and Chagharzi areas of Buner.

Seven more people were killed in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, according to regional disaster management authorities.

Rescue workers conduct search and rescue operation in Bajaur. Courtesy: Rescue 1122

In Bajaur, District Emergency Officer Amjid Khan said a sudden cloudburst triggered flash floods in Salarzai tehsil, sweeping away 26 people. Eighteen bodies have been recovered, while three injured survivors were taken to hospital. Five others remain missing.

Helicopter crash kills 5 during rescue mission

A provincial government MI-17 helicopter carrying relief goods to Bajaur’s rain-hit areas crashed due to bad weather, Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur said. The accident killed all five on board, including two pilots and three crew members.

Gandapur announced a day of mourning in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, with the national flag to be flown at half-mast across the province on Saturday. He said rescue teams have been dispatched to the crash site and that the victims will be laid to rest with full state honors.

Expressing solidarity with the families of those killed, Gandapur said the crew sacrificed their lives to save others, calling them “our true heroes whose sacrifice will be written in golden letters in history.”

Disaster zones declared in four regions

Authorities have declared the entire Gilgit-Baltistan region, Pakistan-administered Kashmir, Swat, and the Malakand division as disaster-affected areas following continuous rains and flash flooding.

Several regions are facing widespread rain-triggered flooding, landslides, and infrastructure damage.

In Battagram, Assistant Commissioner Saleem Khan confirmed that 28 people were swept away by flash floods after heavy rain in the Neel Bund area. Fifteen bodies have been recovered, and rescue teams are searching for the remaining 13 victims with help from police and local volunteers.

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Rescue 1122 spokesperson Bilal Ahmed Faizi said that in Lower Dir’s Maidan Sori Pow area, a house collapsed due to heavy rain, burying nine people under the debris. Five were found dead, and four others were injured.

Faizi said the continuous downpour blocked mountain routes, delaying rescue teams by nearly three hours. In Mansehra’s Basyan area, flash floods swept away a vehicle carrying six people. Two died, one was injured, and three were rescued safely.

PDMA also confirmed four deaths in Swat and one in Shangla, while 16 people were injured across districts.

Person standing amid debris after a rainstorm in Pakistan’s Bajaur district on August 15, 2025.Courtesy: Rescue 1122

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur directed district administrations — particularly in Dir, Bajaur, Battagram and Swat — to remain on high alert and take precautionary measures to protect lives and property.

Seven killed in Pakistan-administered Kashmir

Meanwhile, seven more people were killed in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, according to regional disaster management authorities.

In July, Punjab province, home to nearly half of Pakistan’s 255 million people, recorded 73 percent more rainfall than last year and more deaths than during the entire previous monsoon.

Landslides and flash floods are common during Pakistan’s monsoon season, which typically begins in June and ends by late September. Scientists say climate change has intensified extreme weather events worldwide.

In 2022, monsoon floods submerged a third of Pakistan, killing 1,700 people. The country remains among the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, with residents facing increasingly frequent extreme weather.