Khyber Pakhtunkhwa [Pakistan], August 6 (ANI): At least 71 people, including over 40 children, have died and 86 others sustained injuries in rain-related incidents across Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province since the onset of the monsoon season in late June, according to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), Dawn reported.
The ongoing monsoon, which typically affects the region from June through September, has triggered widespread destruction, including flash floods, landslides, infrastructure collapse, and mass displacement, particularly in vulnerable and densely populated areas.
The PDMA data revealed that out of the 71 fatalities, 40 were children, 17 were men, and 14 were women. Swat district was hit the hardest, reporting 22 deaths due to flooding and landslides.
A particularly tragic event occurred on June 27, when sudden flash floods swept through tourist hotspots in Swat and Malakand divisions. Seventeen people went missing, primarily tourists. Rescue operations recovered 12 bodies, four people were rescued alive, while one body remains unaccounted for. The delayed emergency response drew widespread public criticism.
The PDMA listed several incidents that underscored the toll on vulnerable families. On July 21, a woman drowned in a nullah (stream), while two children were swept away in floods. That same day, three children died when the roof of their house collapsed in Bahrain tehsil of Swat.
Swat recorded the highest death toll at 22, followed by Malakand with five, Buner with four, and Charsadda, Upper Dir, Mansehra, Khyber, and Abbottabad with three each. Torghar, Hangu, Shangla, Bajaur, Lower Kohistan, Lakki Marwat, and Battagram each reported two deaths. Karak, Haripur, Upper Kohistan, Nowshera, and Kohat reported one death each.
The PDMA also reported 86 injuries—38 men, 15 women, and 33 children—and the destruction of 358 houses, including 54 completely flattened. Swat recorded the highest number of destroyed houses at 63, followed by 38 in Karak and 22 in Buner. The number of cattle that perished due to the rains stood at 142.
Meanwhile, PDMA has issued a fresh alert forecasting isolated rainfall and thunderstorms over the next 12 to 24 hours in several parts of the province, including Chitral, Dir, Swat, Kalam, Mansehra, Battagram, Abbottabad, Haripur, Swabi, Mardan, Nowshera, Peshawar, Charsadda, Kohat, Lakki Marwat, Parachinar, Bannu, and Dera Ismail Khan.
In a statement issued on Sunday, PDMA directed district administrations and other relevant organisations to remain on high alert as the Pakistan Meteorological Department forecast more intermittent to heavy rains, wind, and thunderstorms across KP from August 4 to 7, Dawn reported.
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