Khyber Pakhtunkhwa drowns in grief as heavy rains push death toll to 406

Relentless monsoon rains and flash floods have killed at least 406 people and injured 245 others across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) since June 26, according to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA).

The fatalities in KP include 167 women and 108 children, while the injured comprise 121 men, 92 women and 32 children. Buner district has been the worst hit, with 237 deaths and 128 injuries reported. Other badly affected districts include Swabi (42 deaths), Shangla (36), Mansehra (25), Bajaur (22) and Swat (20), ARY News reported.

The PDMA said heavy rains and floods have also caused widespread destruction, damaging 2,810 properties in KP alone — 2,136 houses partially and 674 completely. In Buner, 1,469 homes were damaged. Education has been severely affected, with 324 schools impacted, including 18 completely destroyed. The flooding also killed 5,916 livestock.

Nationwide, the toll is even higher. According to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), at least 788 people have died and over 1,000 have been injured across Pakistan since 26 June. The dead include 200 children and 117 women.

KP reported the highest casualties at 469 deaths, followed by Punjab (165), Sindh (51), Balochistan (24), Gilgit-Baltistan (45), Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (23), and Islamabad (8), Dawn reported.

With IANS inputs