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More than 200 missing in flood-hit area in Pakistan

2025-08-17 15:07:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

More than 200 people remain missing in an area of northwest Pakistan after devastating monsoon floods and landslides, an official said.

Flash floods have killed more than 300 people in Pakistan and Pakistani-administered Kashmir in recent days, with most of the deaths recorded in the mountainous province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

A local official in the worst-hit district of Buner told the BBC that at least 209 people are still missing there, but there are fears the number could rise.

Rescue teams have buried eight unidentified bodies after no family members were found alive to claim them, said Jehangir Khan, spokesman for the Buner deputy commissioner's office.

Some relatives are also unable to retrieve the bodies of their loved ones as the roads have been severely damaged, he added.

A spokesman for the provincial rescue team told the AFP news agency that "10 to 12 entire villages" had been partially buried.

Asfandyar Khattak, head of the provincial disaster management authority, said "dozens" of people were missing in Shangla district.

Monsoon rains between June and September bring about three-quarters of South Asia's annual rainfall.

While landslides and flash floods are common as a result, scientists say climate change is making these weather events more intense and frequent.

Torrential rains have also hit Indian-administered Kashmir, days after at least 60 people were killed there by flash floods.

Nine people were killed in Pakistan-administered Kashmir this week, while five others died in the northern Gilgit-Baltistan region, authorities said.

Government weather forecasters say heavy rain is expected until August 21 in the northwest, where some areas have been declared disaster zones.

Pakistan has been grappling with the devastation of this year's monsoon season since June. At least 650 people have been killed so far this year.

In July, Punjab, home to nearly half of Pakistan's 255 million people, recorded 73% more rainfall than last year and more deaths than in the entire previous monsoon season.

Northern Pakistan is also one of the most glacial areas in the region, but these are rapidly thinning and retreating due to climate change - meaning rocks, soil and other debris could be displaced.

Monsoon rains can further destabilize mountainsides, exacerbating landslides that sometimes block rivers.

While the exact cause of the recent floods and landslides has yet to be determined, glaciologists say melting ice is a contributing factor.