More than 200 people lost their lives and several remained missing as flash floods wreaked havoc across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Friday, according to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA).
Since late June, monsoon rains have wreaked havoc across the country – especially KP and northern regions – by triggering deadly floods, landslides and displacement, particularly in vulnerable, poorly drained, or densely populated areas.
The province-wide deaths included 172 men, 14 women and 12 children, with Buner witnessing the highest number of deaths, 91, according to the PDMA. The data added that 45 homes, three schools and eight other structures were destroyed amid the deluge, with 26 homes being destroyed in Swat alone.
According to the PDMA report, “37 houses were partially destroyed and seven were completely destroyed.”
The report added that heavy rain in the area is likely to continue intermittently until August 21.
“On the special instructions of the Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, relief funds have been released for the districts affected by rains and flash floods,” the report read.
“A total of Rs500 million has been released for the districts most affected by floods,” it added, stating that Rs150m has been released for Buner district, Rs100m each for Bajaur, Battagram and Mansehra districts and Rs50m for Swat.
In the evening, KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur issued a video statement where he said that all departments and institutions are engaged in rescue operations, which are being monitored from a control room set up at CM House in Peshawar.
“The province, especially in the Malakand and Hazara regions, has been hit by terrible floods due to cloudbursts and rain,” he said. “As a result, many lives have been lost due to various accidents.
“Two helicopters of the provincial government were working to rescue people, but one of these helicopters met with a tragic accident due to bad weather. Five crew members were martyred.”
The CM outlined that the district administrations and all provincial government departments are actively engaged and “ensuring all measures to protect the lives and property of the people”.
“The administration of the affected districts, as well as others, has also been put on high alert and safety measures are being taken,” he added. “Heavy machinery has been deployed in the affected areas for rescue operations and to clear blocked roads.”
The CM added that provincial lawmakers are in the affected areas and coordinating with local officials.
“In this hour of difficulty, the provincial government stands with its people,” Gandapur said. “The provincial government will fully repair the damage caused by these natural disasters and the public is urged to cooperate with the administration.”
Meanwhile, the KP Health Department issued a pair of notifications declaring a health emergency in the districts of Buner, Swat, Mansehra, Abbottabad, Bajaur and Mohmand and the establishment of flood control rooms and disease data-sharing centres in hospitals across KP.
The notification declaring a health emergency in all hospitals in the aforementioned districts stated that the step had been taken “to prevent [the] outbreak of communicable diseases and effectively monitor risks to the health of the affected population”.
It added that all healthcare staff were to be put on high alert and cancel their leaves to ensure adequate staffing for the provision of healthcare to victims.
The second notification, addressed to all hospitals in KP, ordered the establishment of flood control rooms in order to ensure the availability of medicines and the functioning of medical equipment.
Earlier, the KP government dispatched a helicopter with supplies to Bajaur district, but said that it lost contact with the aircraft. It later confirmed in a statement that the helicopter had crashed and two pilots and three crew were killed.
“As a result of this tragic accident, five passengers, including two pilots, were martyred,” the statement read, quoting Gandapur.
“The provincial government has called for a day of mourning today and flags will be flown at half mast,” the statement added. “Rescue teams have been dispatched to the crash site and the martyrs will be buried with full honours.”
In an earlier statement, the CM was quoted as saying that contact with the helicopter had been lost due to “bad weather”.
Other most-impacted districts included Bajaur – located in the same Malakand Division as Buner – where eight children were among 21 killed and eight were injured due to flash floods, the PDMA report said.
Separately, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday instructed the NDMA to conduct comprehensive relief operations in flood-affected areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Azad Kashmir.
PM Shehbaz also had a telephone conversation with KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur and expressed grief over the loss of precious lives due to the recent cloudburst and flash floods in KP. He told Gandapur that the federal government will provide all possible assistance to the provincial government.
Meanwhile, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir has issued special instructions for the rehabilitation of people affected by the recent floods in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, security sources said on Friday.
According to the sources, the army chief directed troops stationed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to provide full assistance in the recovery and relief efforts. The Pakistan Army has also donated one day’s salary from all personnel for the rehabilitation of flood victims in the province.