Pakistan flash floods: At least 220 dead as boulders crash through villages

Flooding in northwest Pakistan has killed at least 220 people, officials have confirmed.

Over the last 48 hours parts of the country have been hit by flash flooding leaving dozens of homes were swept away and first responders frantically searching for survivors.

In India-controlled Kashmir, rescuers scoured the remote village of Chositi in the district of Kishtwar on Saturday, looking for dozens of missing people after it was hit by flash floods two days earlier, killing 60 and injuring some 150, about 50 in critical condition.

Pakistani officials said rescuers since Thursday more than 3,500 tourists trapped in flood-hit areas have been evacuated. Many travelers have ignored government warnings about avoiding vulnerable regions in the north and northwest.

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Rescuers pulled 63 more bodies overnight from homes flattened by flash floods and landslides. One eyewitness, who escaped the deluges in Buner, described seeing floodwaters carrying hundreds of boulders and “tons of rocks” crashing down.

Hundreds of rescue workers are still searching for survivors in Buner, one of several places in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province where torrential rains and cloudbursts caused massive flooding on Friday, said Mohammad Suhail, a spokesman for the emergency services. Dozens of homes were swept away.

First responders have been trying to recover bodies from the worst-hit villages of Pir Baba and Malik Pura, where most of the fatalities were, said Kashif Qayyum, a deputy commissioner in Buner.

Local police officer Imtiaz Khan, who narrowly escaped the deluges, said floodwaters carrying hundreds of boulders struck and flattened homes within minutes.

“A stream near Pir Baba village in Buner swelled without warning. At first, we thought it was a normal flash flood, but when tons of rocks came crashing down with the water, 60 to 70 houses were swept away in moments,” Khan told The Associated Press, adding that many bodies were left mutilated.

“Our police station was washed away too and if we hadn’t climbed to higher ground, we would not have survived,” Khan said.

Pakistan’s Meteorological Department has predicted torrential rains in the coming days and warned that monsoon activity was likely to intensify from Sunday, including in the north and northwest.

Pakistani leaders, including the prime minister and president, offered their condolences to the families of the dead and said they were praying for the speedy recovery of the injured. Mourners attended mass funerals on Saturday, while authorities supplied tents and food to people in Buner.