Naya Pakistan Monsoon floods kill 20 people: local authorities

Torrential rains in the north of the country have engulfed entire villages due to flooding and landslides, trapping many residents under rubble and leaving around 200 missing.

"A cloudburst in Swabi completely destroyed several houses, killing more than 20 people," a district official in the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa told AFP on Monday.

A second local official confirmed the death toll, saying that several villages had been destroyed by the rain in a short period of time.

Most of the deaths -- more than 340 -- since the first heavy rains on Thursday have been reported in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, according to the provincial disaster agency, which warned of more flooding in the next few days.

The latest torrential rains have hampered ongoing efforts to search for missing people, with volunteers and rescue workers racing to find potential survivors and recover bodies.

“The fresh rains this morning have halted rescue operations,” said Nisar Ahmed, 31, a volunteer in the worst-hit Buner district, adding that 12 villages have been destroyed and 219 bodies have been recovered.

“The fresh rains this morning have forced rescue operations to halt,” said Nisar Ahmed, 31, a volunteer in the worst-hit Buner district, adding that 12 villages have been destroyed and 219 bodies have been recovered.

“Dozens of bodies are still buried under mud and rocks, which can only be retrieved by heavy machinery. However, the temporary tracks built to access the area have been destroyed again by the fresh rains,” 18-year-old Hazratullah told AFP.

There are also concerns for the future due to the lack of food and clean water, said Razakar Ahmed.

He said that several livestock have also been killed by the cloudburst, and their decomposing bodies are spreading a foul smell in many places. “Our most urgent need right now is clean drinking water, and I appeal to the government to provide it.”

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

The Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement on Monday that initial government estimates put the cost of flood damage to public and private property at about $445,000.

The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa A senior official told AFP that the heavy rains had damaged hundreds of houses, dozens of schools and at least 23 buildings.

Sharif Khan, a 47-year-old flour dealer from Buner, lost his home and moved to his cousin's house with his wife and four children.