PESHAWAR: The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) said on Friday that heavy rains and flash floods over the past day have claimed 43 lives and injured 14 people across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
According to the PDMA, the dead include two women and eight children, while the injured are 11 men, two women, and one child.
The report added that 30 houses have been damaged, 25 partially and five completely. Fatal incidents were reported in Swat, Buner, Bajaur, Torghar, Mansehra, Shangla, and Battagram, with Bajaur and Battagram being the most severely affected.
Rescue operations are underway in the affected areas, with PDMA teams, local authorities, and volunteers taking part in relief efforts.
The authority has warned that intermittent heavy rains are expected until August 21, which could worsen flooding in vulnerable districts.
Survivors have appealed to the government to accelerate rescue work and provide immediate shelter for the homeless.
In Mansehra, lightning and a cloudburst triggered flooding, resulting in additional casualties and property losses.
In Swat’s Mingora, Malam Jabba, Haji Baba, Khwazakhela, and Marghazar, low-lying areas have been submerged, flooding hundreds of homes and cutting off access to several locations.
Many residents, including women and children, have taken refuge on rooftops, while in some places, people are evacuating on their own as conditions decline.