More than 300 people killed due to heavy rain, floods in Pakistan

The death toll from weeks of torrential rains and flooding in Pakistan has risen above 300, local officials said on Saturday.

Unusually heavy monsoon rains have swept away roads and buildings, with cloudbursts, flash floods, lightning strikes and house collapses killing scores across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

The Buner district was the worst hit, where 100 people died, according to provincial chief secretary Shahab Ali Shah. A helicopter delivering aid to Bajaur near the Afghan border crashed in bad weather, killing five crew members.

In Swat, more than 2,000 residents were evacuated as rivers and streams overflowed. Rescuers also saved 1,300 stranded tourists in Mansehra’s Siran Valley after flash floods and landslides, emergency spokesman Bilal Faizi said.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif convened an emergency meeting to assess the situation, while the disaster management agency issued fresh warnings of glacial lake outburst floods in the north, urging travellers to stay away from vulnerable areas.

The Gilgit-Baltistan region has faced repeated flooding since July, triggering landslides along the vital Karakoram Highway linking Pakistan with China. The area’s glaciers supply about 75% of the country’s stored water.

A study by World Weather Attribution found that rainfall in Pakistan between 24 June and 23 July was 10–15% heavier due to climate change.

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