Flash flooding in the country’s northern areas on Friday left at least 222 people dead, with 210 lives lost in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and 12 in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB), according to provincial officials and disaster management bodies.
Since late June, monsoon rains have wreaked havoc across the country — especially KP and northern regions — by triggering deadly floods, landslides and displacement, particularly in vulnerable, poorly drained, or densely populated areas.
Key points:
210 killed in KP, including 91 in Buner
12 dead in GB, nine dead in AJK
Over 10 people killed each in Bajaur, Battagram, Shangla and Mansehra
KP government rescue helicopter crashes, five crew dead
KP CM says all departments engaged in rescue operations
Bridges, homes, water mills washed away in AJK
Over 700 tourists rescued from AJK’s Ratti Gali
Flash flood washes away homes in GB’s Daen village
Tourists stranded in GB due to flooded roads
Power outages in GB’s Skardu after water entered power station
The province-wide deaths in KP included 184 men, 14 women and 12 children, with Buner witnessing the highest number of deaths, 91, according to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA).
The data added that 68 homes, three schools and 16 other structures were destroyed amid the deluge, with 49 homes being destroyed in Swat alone.
According to the PDMA report, 61 houses were partially destroyed and seven were completely destroyed.
The report added that heavy rain in the area is likely to continue intermittently until August 21.
“On the special instructions of the Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, relief funds have been released for the districts affected by rains and flash floods,” the report read.
“A total of Rs500 million has been released for the districts most affected by floods,” it added, stating that Rs150m has been released for Buner district, Rs100m each for Bajaur, Battagram and Mansehra districts and Rs50m for Swat.
The PDMA added that it ordered the relevant institutions and bodies to intensify rescue efforts and dispatched letters to district administrations to take precautions ahead of the upcoming weather.
In the evening, KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur issued a video statement where he said that all departments and institutions are engaged in rescue operations, which are being monitored from a control room set up at CM House in Peshawar.
“The province, especially in the Malakand and Hazara regions, has been hit by terrible floods due to cloudbursts and rain,” he said. “As a result, many lives have been lost due to various accidents.
“Two helicopters of the provincial government were working to rescue people, but one of these helicopters met with a tragic accident due to bad weather. Five crew members were martyred.”
The CM outlined that the district administrations and all provincial government departments are actively engaged and “ensuring all measures to protect the lives and property of the people”.
“The administration of the affected districts, as well as others, has also been put on high alert and safety measures are being taken,” he added. “Heavy machinery has been deployed in the affected areas for rescue operations and to clear blocked roads.”
The CM added that provincial lawmakers are in the affected areas and coordinating with local officials.
“In this hour of difficulty, the provincial government stands with its people,” Gandapur said. “The provincial government will fully repair the damage caused by these natural disasters and the public is urged to cooperate with the administration.”
Meanwhile, the KP Health Department issued a pair of notifications — available with Dawn.com — declaring a health emergency in the districts of Buner, Swat, Mansehra, Abbottabad, Bajaur and Mohmand and the establishment of flood control rooms and disease data-sharing centres in hospitals across KP.
The notification declaring a health emergency in all hospitals in the aforementioned districts stated that the step had been taken “to prevent [the] outbreak of communicable diseases and effectively monitor risks to the health of the affected population”.
It added that all healthcare staff were to be put on high alert and cancel their leaves to ensure adequate staffing for the provision of healthcare to victims.
The second notification, addressed to all hospitals in KP, ordered the establishment of flood control rooms in order to ensure the availability of medicines and the functioning of medical equipment.
“In light of the anticipated rise in fatalities and injuries, as well as the increasing cases of both communicable and non-communicable diseases, you are requested to nominate a focal person from your district who will be responsible for providing daily updates to the health directorate,” the notification read.
Earlier, the KP government dispatched a helicopter with supplies to Bajaur district, but said that it lost contact with the aircraft. It later confirmed in a statement that the helicopter had crashed and two pilots and three crew were killed.
