Northern Pakistan declared disaster zone as KP floods death toll rises to 278

The death toll from flash floods across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has climbed to 278, as torrential rains and flash floods wreak havoc across northwestern Pakistan, including five officials who died in a helicopter crash during relief efforts.

Kashif Qayyum, Deputy Commissioner of Buner, told Nukta that 175 deaths have been confirmed in the Buner district alone.

“A search operation is underway, with over 100 rescue personnel, 20 ambulances, 10 excavators, and police engaged in the efforts,” he said, adding that teams from other districts had also been called in.

“Dozens of people were swept away in the incidents, and the death toll is expected to rise,” he warned. Authorities have declared a flood emergency in Daggar, Gadezai, Gagra, Mandanr, and Chagharzi areas.

According to Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) spokesperson Anwar Shehzad, Shangla and Mansehra have reported 23 deaths each, followed by 21 in Bajaur, 15 in Battagram, 11 in Swat, and five in Lower Dir. He added that 21 people were also injured in the incidents.

Separately, in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, seven people have also died, according to regional disaster management authorities. Emergency teams are on the ground as authorities brace for further casualties and damage.

Most of the victims are children and women.

Helicopter crash kills five during flood relief mission

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

Residents gather after a road was blocked by a fallen tree amid heavy rains in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistani Kashmir, August 15, 2025. Reuters

Gandapur announced a day of mourning in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, with national flags to be flown at half-mast on Saturday. Rescue teams have been dispatched to the crash site, and the victims will be buried with full state honors. Calling the crew “true heroes whose sacrifice will be written in golden letters in history,” he said they gave their lives to save others.

Disaster zones declared in four regions

Authorities have declared Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan-administered Kashmir, Swat, and the Malakand division as disaster-hit areas after days of torrential rains and flash floods. Large parts of these regions have been left inundated, with landslides and damaged infrastructure hampering rescue efforts.

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In Battagram, 28 people were swept away by flash floods in the Neel Bund area, Assistant Commissioner Saleem Khan said. Fifteen bodies have been recovered, while police and local volunteers search for the remaining 13.

Rescue officials reported five deaths and four injuries after a house collapse in Lower Dir’s Maidan Sori Pow area. Heavy rainfall also triggered floods in Mansehra’s Basyan area, where two people died when a vehicle carrying six passengers was swept away.

The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) confirmed four more deaths in Swat and one in Shangla, with 16 others injured across districts. Gandapur has directed district administrations - particularly in Dir, Bajaur, Battagram, and Swat — to remain on high alert and take preventive measures to safeguard lives and property.

Federal, provincial govts assure full support to KP

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif spoke by phone with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi, expressing deep sorrow over the destruction in Buner, Bajaur and other districts of the province.

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

The premier assured the governor of the federal government’s full support to KP, adding that he had directed the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) to take all possible emergency measures. “In this hour of grief, the people of KP will not be left alone under any circumstances,” he affirmed.

Separately, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah also called Governor Kundi to express condolences over the large-scale loss of life and property in KP. He offered full assistance from the Sindh government. Shah added that his government is fully prepared to provide every possible form of aid to the flood-affected areas of KP.

Seven killed in Pakistan-administered Kashmir

Regional disaster management officials confirmed seven more deaths in Pakistan-administered Kashmir.

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

People gathered at the site of a flashflood in Salarzai Tehsil of Pakistan's Bajaur district on August 15, 2025.AFP

Landslides and flash floods are common during Pakistan’s monsoon season, which runs from June to late September.

Scientists warn that climate change is intensifying extreme weather worldwide. In 2022, catastrophic floods submerged a third of Pakistan, killing 1,700 people. The country remains among the most climate-vulnerable globally, facing increasingly frequent and severe weather disasters.