Flash floods triggered by heavy rains kill at the very least 49 individuals in northwestern Pakistan

Flash floods triggered by heavy rains killed at the very least 49 individuals in northwestern Pakistan and elsewhere within the nation over the previous 24 hours, officers mentioned Friday (August 15, 2025), as rescuers evacuated 1,300 stranded vacationers from a mountainous district hit by landslides.

More than 360 individuals, largely girls and youngsters, have died in rain-related incidents throughout Pakistan since June 26. Most of the most recent deaths have been reported in northern and northwestern Pakistan, in accordance with native officers.

At least 10 individuals have been killed Thursday after being swept away by flash floods in Ghazar district within the Gilgit-Baltistan area, mentioned regional authorities spokesman Faizullah Faraq.

Another 16 individuals, together with girls and youngsters, additionally died Thursday in Bajaur district in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province when a large cloudburst led to flash flooding, mentioned rescue official Amjad Khan. He mentioned 17 others have been swept away and stay lacking.

Flash floods additionally hit Battagram, a district within the northwest, killing 10 individuals, authorities administrator Saleem Khan mentioned. He mentioned one other 18 individuals have been nonetheless lacking.

Seven extra individuals died Thursday in separate rain-related incidents in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, which is break up between Pakistan and India and claimed by each in its entirety, in accordance with the state catastrophe administration authority.

Bilal Faizi, a provincial emergency service spokesman in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, mentioned rescuers labored for hours to save lots of 1,300 vacationers after they have been trapped by flash flooding and landslides within the Siran Valley in Mansehra district on Thursday.

Faraq mentioned Gilgit-Baltistan has been hit by a number of floods since July, triggering landslides alongside the Karakoram Highway, a key commerce and journey route linking Pakistan and China that’s utilized by vacationers to journey to the scenic north.

Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari in a press release expressed his sorrow and grief over the losses and requested authorities to expedite the rescue and reduction work within the flood-affected areas.

Gilgit-Baltistan can also be dwelling to scenic glaciers that present 75% of Pakistan’s saved water provide. Pakistan’s catastrophe administration company has issued recent alerts for glacial lake outburst flooding within the north, warning vacationers to keep away from affected areas.

A examine launched this week by World Weather Attribution, a community of worldwide scientists, discovered rainfall from June 24 to July 23 was 10% to fifteen% heavier due to world warming. Experts say sudden, intense downpours over small areas — often known as cloudbursts — have gotten more and more widespread within the nation.

In 2022, the nation’s worst monsoon season on document killed greater than 1,700 individuals and precipitated an estimated $40 billion in injury.