KP cloudburst: Death toll crosses 200, day of mourning observed

PESHAWAR: A day of mourning is being observed today in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) as death toll due to the cloudburst and subsequent flash floods reaches above 200.

According to Rescue Department officials, Buner is the worst-hit district, where the death toll has reached 213 in Pir Baba, Gokand, Chagharzi and Tehsil Gadezi. Gadezi reported 150 deaths, Gokand 25, and Chagharzi 38.

Rescue 1122 and district administration officials said rescue operations are underway in the affected areas. In Pir Baba and adjoining localities, dozens of houses, shops and vehicles were swept away by floodwaters. Many bodies are lying at DHQ Daggar and THQ Pacha Kallay hospitals. The number of injured stands at 46, several in critical condition.

Over 250 dead as floods devastate parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

According to the PDMA, standing crops and orchards in Buner have suffered severe damage, while roads in Gokand, Chagharzi and Gadezi have been washed away in several places.

DAY OF MOURNING

The KP government has announced Saturday as a day of mourning to honour the five crew members of the government’s MI-171 helicopter who embraced martyrdom when the aircraft crashed during a rescue operation.

The national flag is flying at half-mast on government buildings.

The KP govt has also declared the severely affected mountainous districts of Buner, Bajaur, Mansehra and Battagram as disaster-hit areas.

ARMY COMES TO THE RESCUE

Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir has directed all Pakistan Army units deployed in K-P to intensify relief and rehabilitation efforts in communities devastated by unprecedented monsoon floods. Special operational orders have been issued to reinforce the local response.

According to security sources, the army chief has dispatched additional troops to the hardest-hit zones while senior military commanders coordinate closely with civil authorities. “Every soldier’s one-day salary has been donated to flood-affected populations,” the sources said, adding that over 600 tonnes of army rations have also been contributed to bolster relief supplies.

G-B FLOODS DEATH TOLL REACHES 12

Meanwhile, in Gilgit-Baltistan, the death toll from landslides and floods has reached 12, with hundreds of houses, mosques and roads destroyed. Relief supplies, including tents, rations and medicines, have been delivered to affected families.