The Pakistan Army has launched a comprehensive rescue and relief operation in the flood-hit districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), where devastating deluges and landslides have caused widespread havoc. Army Engineers Corps personnel are working round-the-clock to clear blocked highways and restore access for stranded communities. Significant progress has been made, with the Pir Baba bypass reopened for traffic, debris cleared in local markets, and critical roads like the one leading to Gokand village and the Aluch-Poran route restored using heavy machinery.
The human cost of the disaster is staggering. According to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority, flash floods triggered by heavy rains and cloudbursts have killed at least 341 people in KP since last Friday, with the district of Buner being the epicenter of the tragedy, accounting for over 200 fatalities. Urban Search and Rescue teams face immense challenges navigating narrow streets but persist in their operations, having already recovered five bodies from a stream near Bishoni.
This provincial crisis is part of a larger national disaster. The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) reports that torrential monsoon rains have killed at least 660 people across Pakistan since late June. KP has suffered the highest death toll at 392, followed by Punjab, Gilgit-Baltistan, and other regions. The catastrophe was amplified by rare cloudbursts, with Buner receiving over 150mm of rain in a single hour on Friday, leading to unprecedented destruction in several districts.
Authorities have warned that the situation remains critical. NDMA Chairman Lt Gen Inam Haider Malik forecasted two more potential spells of rain between August 21 and September 10, which could intensify the disaster. Echoing the commitment to relief efforts, DG ISPR Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhary confirmed the severe damage to KP’s road infrastructure and stated that medical camps have treated over 6,000 injured people, with more medical units mobilized on the instructions of Army Chief General Asim Munir.
