More than 20 people were killed on Wednesday in Pakistan as relentless monsoon rains continued to devastate the country, sweeping away entire villages and bringing the week’s death toll to over 400.
According to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), 11 deaths were reported in Gilgit-Baltistan, a mountainous tourist destination in the north, while 10 others died in Karachi, the southern financial hub, due to house collapses and electrocution caused by urban flooding.
In Karachi, a city of over 20 million people, schools remained closed as the Pakistan Meteorological Department forecasted continued rainfall through Saturday.
The city’s fragile infrastructure buckled under the weight of the downpour, with crumbling drainage systems and overwhelmed sewers submerging roads and residential areas.
Power outages were reported in multiple neighborhoods, and commuters were stranded in floodwaters during Tuesday evening’s rush hour.
By Wednesday morning, some floodwaters had receded, according to an AFP photographer, but the damage was significant.
Between 40 and 50 houses were damaged in two districts, provincial disaster official Muhammad Younis confirmed.
Amir Hyder Laghari, the chief meteorologist of Sindh province, pointed to “weak infrastructure” as the key reason behind the severe urban flooding in major cities like Karachi.
In the northern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, bordering Afghanistan, more than 350 people have died since last Thursday amid landslides, flash floods, and collapsing homes.
Rescue teams, supported by the army, are continuing operations to locate dozens of missing residents trapped under rubble or washed away by surging waters.
“The flood has destroyed entire settlements,” said Anjum Anwar, a medical camp official in Buner district, where over 220 people lost their lives.
“The children are scared. They say they cannot sleep at night due to fear.”
The widespread flooding has disrupted communication networks and phone lines in several affected regions.
Excavators are being used to clear debris blocking drainage systems, and emergency relief efforts are underway.
The army has set up relief camps offering medical care, food supplies, and tents to displaced residents, said Colonel Irfan Afridi, speaking from Buner.
NDMA chairman Inam Haider Malik warned of another spell of rain expected by the end of the month, with overall forecasts indicating the monsoon rains may persist until mid-September.
So far this monsoon season, which typically runs from June to September, nearly 750 people have died, according to official figures.
Landslides and flash floods remain a frequent and deadly hazard during this period.
Pakistan is among the countries most vulnerable to climate change, with extreme weather events such as floods and heatwaves becoming increasingly common.
In 2022, monsoon floods submerged nearly one-third of the country, claiming around 1,700 lives and displacing millions.
