PESHAWAR/ DAGGAR/ALPURI/MINGORA/ ISLAMABAD/GILGIT: At least 351 people have lost their lives in the last 48 hours as floods, landslides, and rain-related incidents wreaked havoc across northern Pakistan, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said on Saturday.
Rescue operations are ongoing to restore normalcy in the affected areas. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) alone, 328 people have lost their lives and dozens more have been injured. Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) reported 12 fatalities, while Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) confirmed 11 deaths. According to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), 327 of KP’s deaths resulted from flash floods triggered by intense cloudbursts, with Buner district alone accounting for a staggering 204 fatalities.
A detailed PDMA report stated that the deceased included 279 men, 15 women, and 13 children. Additionally, 17 men, four women, and two children were injured. District-wise fatalities included Buner (204), Shangla (36), Mansehra (23), Swat (22), Bajaur (21), Battagram (15), Lower Dir (5), and Abbottabad (1). The floods also damaged a total of 74 houses — 63 partially and 11 completely destroyed. Authorities have warned that the current spell of heavy rainfall is expected to continue intermittently until August 21, raising serious concerns of further devastation. “Heavy rainfall, landslides, and washed-out roads are causing major challenges in delivering aid,” said Bilal Ahmed Faizi, spokesman for KP’s rescue agency. He added that rescue teams were being forced to travel on foot to reach disaster-hit sites, as widespread road closures had severely hampered access. “They are trying to evacuate survivors, but very few people are relocating due to the deaths of their relatives or loved ones being trapped in the debris,” Faizi said.
In Buner, funeral prayers for 190 victims were held across the district. Over 120 homes were destroyed, and dozens of vehicles remain buried under debris. The hardest-hit areas included Beshonai, Gambat, Qadir Nagar, and Gokand Kot. Floodwaters swept away link bridges in Hisar Tangi, Malakpur, and Tangora, while main roads in Chagharzi and Gokand were submerged, making it very difficult for rescue teams to reach the affected areas. Early estimates suggest the damage could be worth billions of rupees. On Saturday, rescue teams recovered six more bodies from Dagar and Malakpur, raising concerns that the death toll may rise further. Due to the high number of deaths, some areas are also facing a shortage of coffins. Buner district resident Azizullah said he “thought it was doomsday”. “I heard a loud noise as if the mountain was sliding,” he told AFP. “The ground was trembling due to the force of the water, and it felt like death was staring me in the face.”
An AFP journalist saw three excavators clearing mud and wood from the completely flattened site, while dozens of rescuers and residents also dug through the debris .”My daughter’s dowry worth around five hundred thousand rupees was washed away in the flood,” resident Abdul Hayat told AFP. “We don’t even have clothes to wear, the food was also swept away,” he said.
Others cleared heavy rocks with their hands and with shovels. “People are still lying under the debris... Those who were swept away are being searched for downstream,” said resident Abdul Khan. Another villager in Buner told AFP residents kept on searching through the rubble overnight. “The entire area is reeling from profound trauma,” said 32-year-old schoolteacher Saifullah Khan. “I help retrieve the bodies of the children I taught, I keep wondering what kind of trial nature has imposed on these kids,” he said.
As destruction and panic spread, top officials — including the Inspector General of Frontier Corps, Commissioner of Malakand Division, Federal Minister Engineer Amir Muqam, and PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan — visited the affected areas to assess the damage. Chief Minister Gandapur and the chief secretary also visited the flood-hit areas of Buner. With roads, bridges, and basic services badly damaged, survivors are in urgent need of help while authorities work to restore access and speed up relief efforts.
In Shangla, the death toll rose to 37, with several people still reported missing. Hundreds of homes were either destroyed or severely damaged, while many residents sustained injuries. Major highways—including Alpuri-Bisham, Alpuri-Puran, and Alpuri-Chakesar—were temporarily reopened, though repair work on connecting roads has yet to commence. In Puran tehsil, flooding wiped out orchards, crops, livestock, shops, and vehicles, dealing a severe blow to the local economy. Damage assessments are currently underway. In Swat, floodwaters inundated more than 2,000 homes, destroying household items and hundreds of shops. In picturesque Swat district, an AFP photographer saw roads submerged in muddy water, downed electricity poles and vehicles half-buried in mud. Mingora city was the worst affected, where over 90 houses and 40 shops collapsed. Seventeen people died, two were injured, and more than 35 connecting bridges were washed away. The most affected localities included Lendakas, Malakabad, Sharifabad, Saidu Sharif, Shagai, and Mela Dag. In Mansehra, the PDMA revised its earlier figures regarding the cloudburst in the Haleem Dehri Neelband area of the district. “I confirm that 24 people were killed in Mansehra and three in Battagram. The cloudburst in Haleem Dehri Neelband alone claimed 20 lives,” Amjad Khan, Director Provincial Emergency Operations of PDMA, told reporters.
The national disaster agency’s Syed Muhammad Tayyab Shah told AFP that this year’s monsoon season began earlier than usual and was expected to end later. It would also increase in intensity over the next fortnight, he said. The torrential rains that have pounded Pakistan since the start of the summer monsoon, described as “unusual” by authorities, have killed more than 650 people, with more than 905 injured. In July, Punjab, home to nearly half of Pakistan’s 255 million people, recorded 73 percent more rainfall than the previous year and more deaths than in the entire previous monsoon.
The KP Chief Minister, Ali Amin Gandapur, vowed to spare no effort to mitigate public suffering and said relief and rehabilitation efforts would continue until full normalcy was restored. He directed Rescue 1122, PDMA, and district administrations to ensure timely assistance. The provincial government also declared a state of emergency in the flood-hit districts of Buner, Bajaur, Swat, Shangla, Mansehra, Torghar, Battagram, Upper Dir and Lower Dir.
During a meeting in Peshawar, CM Gandapur directed officials to restore road connectivity urgently, use helicopters for inaccessible areas, deploy additional medical staff and ensure food delivery. He ordered that compensation payments be completed within two days. Another high-level emergency meeting chaired by Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur was informed that the provincial government had released Rs1.5 billion to the PDMA for rescue, relief, and compensation, and another Rs1.5 billion to the Communication and Works Department for the repair of roads and infrastructure. Additionally, Rs500 million were allocated to deputy commissioners for compensating families who lost their loved ones.
According to official notifications, local administrations in the affected areas were authorised to mobilise all available resources for relief activities. The KP government also allocated Rs1 billion to the PDMA for timely response and preparedness and Rs1.55 billion for road and bridge restoration in affected districts. A one-day mourning was observed across KP on Saturday, in line with CM Gandapur’s announcement, to honour those who lost their lives in the floods and the rescue helicopter crash. The national flag was flown at half-mast across government buildings. A section of the Naltar Expressway was swept away by flash floods on Saturday, leaving hundreds of tourists stranded. The situation worsened as three hydropower stations were forced to shut down, plunging Gilgit city into darkness for the second consecutive day.
In Gouro-Jaglot, raging floodwaters altered the course of the Hunza River, inundating several houses and hotels. Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) Interior Minister Shams Lone, along with senior officials, visited the affected areas and distributed relief goods to 22 families. Officials reported extensive losses to agricultural land, crops and homes. Relief operations are under way in Shigar, Kharmang and Rondu.
In Baltistan, severe flooding in the Astak Nullah damaged multiple sections of the Karakoram Highway, bringing traffic to a standstill. Relief and rescue operations continued in Shigar, Kharmang, and Rondu, where infrastructure losses were mounting. In Bagrot Valley, a critical bridge and a 2MW powerhouse were destroyed by the floods, while several houses collapsed. Rescue and relief teams have been deployed to assist residents.
Ghizer district witnessed large-scale destruction, with floodwaters damaging homes, public infrastructure and agricultural lands. Emergency assistance, including tents, blankets, food, and medical supplies, is being provided, while restoration of power and irrigation systems is underway. In Diamer, flash floods struck the areas of Thor, Bonar, Tangir, and Khanbari. Search operations are still ongoing to trace missing individuals. Although, both the Babusar and Karakoram Highways have been reopened, parts of Kohistan remain inaccessible due to ongoing landslides. Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Minister Haji Gulbar Khan has directed cabinet members and advisers to actively oversee relief and rehabilitation efforts in the affected regions. So far, 12 deaths have been confirmed across GB, with two people still missing and at least five others injured.
The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has warned of intense monsoon rains across the country starting August 17, as strong weather systems from the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal are expected to increase rainfall.
Heavy downpours may lead to flash floods, landslides, and urban flooding, especially in KP, Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Kashmir. Cities like Karachi, Hyderabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore, and Multan could be heavily affected, with Sindh expected to face the worst impact between August 17 and 22.
Flash floods are likely in local rivers and streams in Chitral, Dir, Swat, Shangla, and Abbottabad. Landslides are feared in hilly areas like Murree, Galliyat, and parts of KP and GB. Weak structures such as kacha houses, billboards, and electric poles are at risk of collapse.
The PMD and NDMA have urged local authorities to stay alert and take safety measures. People are advised to avoid unnecessary travel to mountainous or flood-prone areas and to stay indoors during thunderstorms. Section 144 may be enforced to restrict movement in dangerous areas. NDMA Chairman Lt Gen Inam Haider Malik said Pakistan now has better tools to predict weather disasters, but warned that the risk remains high and public vigilance is essential.
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin has conveyed his condolences to President Asif Ali Zardari over the loss of lives caused by the floods. In a letter, Putin expressed deep sorrow at the tragedy and extended heartfelt sympathy to the families of deceased. He also wished a swift recovery for the injured and expressed solidarity with the affected families during this difficult time.
Meanwhile, foreign missions in Pakistan have expressed deep condolences and solidarity over the loss of lives in flash floods. The Embassy of Japan in Islamabad said Japan stood with Pakistan in its grief. “I am deeply saddened to learn that many precious lives were lost in the flood that occurred in the northern part of Pakistan. On behalf of the government of Japan, I pray for the souls of the victims and extend my deepest condolences to the bereaved families. I would also like to express my sincere wishes for the swift recovery of the injured,” Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said in a message to his Pakistani counterpart, Shehbaz Sharif.
The United States also extended condolences. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), US Chargé d’Affaires Natalie A Baker said she was deeply grieved by the tragic loss of life and devastation caused by the flashfloods and extended heartfelt condolences to all the families who had lost their loved ones. She added that she and her team “stood in solidarity with the people of Pakistan during this difficult time.” The Embassy of Germany noted it was “deeply saddened by the high number of casualties caused by severe flooding and landslides in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan.” It extended heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families and expressed hope for the swift recovery of those who were missing.
Australian High Commissioner Neil Hawkins said he was saddened by the deadly flashfloods and deaths of rescuers in a helicopter crash. “Australia stands in solidarity with our Pakistani friends at this tough time. Our thoughts are with all affected.”
The Embassy of Iran said it was saddened to learn of the loss of over 210 lives. In a message, it extended sincere condolences and sympathy to the Pakistani government and people, particularly to the families who lost loved ones.