Death toll from flash floods in northern Pakistan rises to 346

The death toll from flash floods in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province has risen to 346, officials said on Sunday, as rescue operations continue across the country.

Deputy Commissioner Buner Kashif Qayum confirmed to Nukta that Buner district has reported the highest number of casualties, with 217 deaths so far.

Provincial Disaster Management Authority spokesperson Anwar Shahzad said fatalities include 36 in Shangla, 24 in Mansehra, 22 in Swat, 21 in Bajaur, 15 in Battagram, five in Lower Dir and one in Abbottabad.

Shahzad added that 156 people were injured, while 159 houses, more than 70 schools, shops and police stations were damaged. At least 157 cattle also perished in the floods.

Residents walk alongside a stream a day after flash floods in the Buner district of the monsoon-hit northern Pakistan's mountainous Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on August 16, 2025. AFP

Qayum warned that the toll could rise further as search and clearance operations remain under way.

Widespread devastation

The floods swept through the region in the early hours of Friday, destroying homes and triggering widespread devastation. Many of the victims were women and children, officials said, with most of the destruction occurring within just 36 hours of the deluge.

Among the victims were five provincial government officials who died when a helicopter carrying relief supplies crashed in Bajaur due to bad weather.

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Authorities have declared several districts disaster zones, including Buner, Bajaur, Swat, Shangla, Mansehra and Battagram. Damaged infrastructure has hampered relief operations.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur was briefed on the devastation in Buner, where a cloudburst destroyed 5,380 houses across seven village councils. Officials confirmed 209 deaths in the district, with 134 people still missing and 159 injured.

Rescue operations are under way with more than 1,300 personnel, including doctors, paramedics, police, civil defense volunteers and army battalions. Authorities said heavy machinery has been deployed, landslide debris cleared at 15 points, and key roads reopened.

They added that 3,500 stranded people have been evacuated and a state of emergency declared in eight flood-hit districts. Gandapur said rehabilitation and resettlement of victims would remain the government’s top priority, noting that PKR 1.5 billion has already been released for relief efforts.

Chief Minister Gandapur also announced a day of mourning, calling the officials killed in the helicopter crash “true heroes whose sacrifice will be written in golden letters in history.”

Over 4,000 affected

More than 4,000 people have been affected, with 3,567 rescued so far, officials said. Nearly 5,000 personnel supported by 90 vehicles, including ambulances and excavators, are engaged in rescue and relief operations. Officials said 68 houses were either damaged or destroyed.

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Large parts of Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan-administered Kashmir, Swat and Malakand have also been declared disaster-hit, with floods and landslides blocking roads and delaying aid deliveries. Authorities said dozens remain missing and warned the toll may rise further.

'Unusual monsoon'

The disaster comes amid what officials describe as an “unusual” monsoon. Pakistan has recorded more than 650 flood-related deaths nationwide this summer, with over 905 injured.

In July, Punjab province — home to nearly half of Pakistan’s 255 million people — saw 73% more rainfall than last year and more fatalities than in the entire previous monsoon season.

Monsoon rains bring South Asia about three-quarters of its annual rainfall, vital for agriculture and food security, but also unleash devastation between June and September.

Pakistan is among the world’s most climate-vulnerable nations. In 2022, catastrophic monsoon floods submerged a third of the country and killed about 1,700 people, underscoring the growing challenge of extreme weather.