Rescuers end search for 11 missing after Pakistan floods

Rescue teams in northern Pakistan have ended a two-week search for 11 people who disappeared in last month’s flash floods, declaring them presumed dead, local authorities said Monday.

The group was among 18 people who swept away on a highway between Chilas and Skardu in July, after cloudbursts triggered landslides and floods in the Gilgit-Baltistan region.

Seven bodies were recovered from debris near the damaged road, according to Faizullah Faraq, a spokesperson for the regional government.

The affected highway has now reopened following repairs.

Pakistan received 36% more rainfall in July than during the same period last year, the Meteorological Department said.

Since 26 June, more than 300 people have died in flood-related incidents nationwide, according to the National Disaster Management Authority.

Officials have issued further flood warnings amid fears of a repeat of the deadly 2022 deluge, which killed nearly 1,750 people and submerged large parts of the country.

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