The China Mail - Rain halts rescue operation after Pakistan floods kill hundreds

USD -
AED 3.672501
AFN 68.259794
ALL 83.120057
AMD 382.235819
ANG 1.789783
AOA 917.000291
ARS 1298.511198
AUD 1.534743
AWG 1.80075
AZN 1.700592
BAM 1.671303
BBD 2.016262
BDT 121.326577
BGN 1.67239
BHD 0.377047
BIF 2977.948874
BMD 1
BND 1.280341
BOB 6.900382
BRL 5.402998
BSD 0.998603
BTN 87.334595
BWP 13.363982
BYN 3.331382
BYR 19600
BZD 2.005836
CAD 1.379475
CDF 2895.000103
CHF 0.807139
CLF 0.024576
CLP 964.098184
CNY 7.182098
CNH 7.179775
COP 4031.01
CRC 504.599504
CUC 1
CUP 26.5
CVE 94.225872
CZK 20.93525
DJF 177.82753
DKK 6.38897
DOP 61.466287
DZD 129.736037
EGP 48.329904
ERN 15
ETB 140.642606
EUR 0.85596
FJD 2.253802
FKP 0.737572
GBP 0.738355
GEL 2.690006
GGP 0.737572
GHS 10.834715
GIP 0.737572
GMD 72.495129
GNF 8658.090042
GTQ 7.659244
GYD 208.841073
HKD 7.822115
HNL 26.140049
HRK 6.448901
HTG 130.666063
HUF 338.547031
IDR 16205.85
ILS 3.38975
IMP 0.737572
INR 87.38245
IQD 1308.113328
IRR 42112.4977
ISK 122.579997
JEP 0.737572
JMD 159.788419
JOD 0.708999
JPY 147.376031
KES 129.250232
KGS 87.3788
KHR 4000.051272
KMF 420.496236
KPW 900
KRW 1385.86057
KWD 0.30549
KYD 0.832141
KZT 540.925541
LAK 21613.699871
LBP 89423.919127
LKR 300.572107
LRD 200.216196
LSL 17.560982
LTL 2.95274
LVL 0.60489
LYD 5.400625
MAD 8.996133
MDL 16.651499
MGA 4442.697407
MKD 52.572
MMK 2099.006724
MNT 3595.738654
MOP 8.047443
MRU 39.944114
MUR 45.480265
MVR 15.409619
MWK 1731.532555
MXN 18.784451
MYR 4.222501
MZN 63.897727
NAD 17.560832
NGN 1531.070123
NIO 36.744756
NOK 10.202305
NPR 139.735181
NZD 1.6836
OMR 0.384505
PAB 0.998611
PEN 3.559456
PGK 4.154721
PHP 56.995004
PKR 283.315573
PLN 3.641636
PYG 7313.061052
QAR 3.640768
RON 4.330975
RSD 100.260468
RUB 80.500366
RWF 1445.948891
SAR 3.752274
SBD 8.223773
SCR 14.51961
SDG 600.497809
SEK 9.570405
SGD 1.28243
SHP 0.785843
SLE 23.2977
SLL 20969.49797
SOS 570.654612
SRD 37.560166
STD 20697.981008
STN 20.935966
SVC 8.737561
SYP 13001.739664
SZL 17.555448
THB 32.455005
TJS 9.31189
TMT 3.51
TND 2.918511
TOP 2.342098
TRY 40.873802
TTD 6.775562
TWD 30.024056
TZS 2608.018025
UAH 41.215055
UGX 3554.887115
UYU 39.949753
UZS 12564.143099
VES 135.47035
VND 26290
VUV 119.151671
WST 2.766277
XAF 560.534423
XAG 0.026209
XAU 0.000298
XCD 2.70255
XCG 1.799724
XDR 0.697125
XOF 560.534423
XPF 101.911155
YER 240.274985
ZAR 17.585935
ZMK 9001.197361
ZMW 23.14236
ZWL 321.999592
  • RBGPF

    2.8400

    75.92

    +3.74%

  • CMSC

    0.0300

    23.12

    +0.13%

  • RYCEF

    -0.2100

    14.71

    -1.43%

  • RIO

    0.2000

    61.24

    +0.33%

  • NGG

    -0.1300

    71.43

    -0.18%

  • BTI

    -0.2700

    57.15

    -0.47%

  • SCS

    -0.0500

    16.15

    -0.31%

  • CMSD

    0.0505

    23.34

    +0.22%

  • GSK

    0.5581

    39.36

    +1.42%

  • AZN

    0.7000

    79.17

    +0.88%

  • RELX

    0.2700

    47.96

    +0.56%

  • VOD

    0.0300

    11.67

    +0.26%

  • BCC

    -0.6300

    85.99

    -0.73%

  • BP

    0.1892

    34.33

    +0.55%

  • JRI

    0.0835

    13.36

    +0.62%

  • BCE

    0.2400

    25.61

    +0.94%

Rain halts rescue operation after Pakistan floods kill hundreds
Rain halts rescue operation after Pakistan floods kill hundreds / Photo: © AFP

Rain halts rescue operation after Pakistan floods kill hundreds

Rain on Monday halted search and rescue operations in northern Pakistan after flash floods that have killed nearly 350 people with around 200 still missing, officials said.

Text size:

Torrential rains across the country since Thursday have caused flooding, rising waters and landslides that have swept away entire villages and left many residents trapped in the rubble.

Most of the deaths -- more than 320 -- were reported in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, according to the provincial disaster agency, which warned of new flash floods "till Thursday".

Volunteers had been assisting hundreds of rescue workers in their race against time to find possible survivors and retrieve bodies as fresh rains started lashing the province.

"This morning fresh rains forced a halt to relief operations," said Nisar Ahmad, 31, a volunteer in worst-hit Buner district, where "12 villages have been completely wiped out and 219 bodies have been recovered".

"Dozens of bodies are still buried under the mud and rocks, which can only be recovered with heavy machinery. However, the makeshift tracks built to access the area have once again been destroyed by the new rains," he added.

Around 200 people are still missing in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, according to local authorities.

- 'We feel scared' -

Many people fled to seek shelter under damaged infrastructure and in the mountains in Buner, an area with difficult terrain.

"Even if it rains a little now, we feel scared because there was light rain that day. And then the unsuspecting people were swept away by the storm," said Buner resident Ghulam Hussain, 35.

"Children and women are running and screaming up the mountains to escape," Hazrat Ullah, 18, told AFP.

Volunteer Ahmad said there were also fears for the future due to a lack of food supplies and clean water.

"Many livestock have also perished in the cloudburst, and their decomposing bodies are spreading a foul odour in several places. Right now, our most urgent need is clean drinking water, and I appeal to the government to provide it," he said.

The monsoon season brings about three-quarters of South Asia's annual rainfall, which is vital for agriculture and food security but also causes widespread destruction.

According to the National Disaster Agency, the intensity of this year's monsoon is about 50 to 60 percent higher than last year.

Landslides and flash floods are common during the monsoon season, which typically begins in June and lasts until the end of September.

The heavy rains that have battered Pakistan since the start of the summer monsoon have claimed the lives of more than 650 people, with over 920 injured.

Pakistan is among the world’s most vulnerable countries to the effects of climate change and is increasingly facing extreme weather events.

In 2022, monsoon floods submerged one-third of the country and resulted in approximately 1,700 deaths.

O.Yip--ThChM