Floods in India and Pakistan Kill Over 280, Hampering Economy and Tourism

 

Heavy monsoon rains have triggered devastating flash floods in the Kashmir region and several areas across northern India and Pakistan, claiming the lives of more than 280 people.

 

Many more have been reported injured and missing.

 

Rescue officials confirmed on Friday that over 280 people had died in the floods, with numerous others unaccounted for. Rescue workers have successfully evacuated some 1,600 individuals from two mountain districts in the neighbouring countries.

 

The flooding began earlier this week in Indian-administered Kashmir before spreading to northern and northwestern Pakistan.

 

The calamity was caused by sudden, intense rainfall in a concentrated area, leading to widespread flooding and landslides that injured dozens and forced the evacuation of thousands, particularly in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

 

Experts say such severe rainfall events are becoming more frequent in the Himalayan region and northern Pakistan, partly due to climate change. Both countries' leaders have offered condolences to the victims' families and pledged to expedite aid.

 

In Indian-administered Kashmir, rescue teams are searching for the missing in the remote Himalayan village of Chositi.

 

A flash flood there the previous day killed at least 60 people and left at least 80 missing.

 

Operations were suspended overnight, and officials fear many of the missing may have been swept away by the torrent, with the death toll likely to rise.

 

 

At least 50 seriously injured people have been treated in hospitals, many of them rescued from streams filled with mud and debris.

 

Chositi, in the Kishtwar district, is a final stop on the annual Hindu pilgrimage route. The pilgrimage, which began on 25 July and was scheduled to end on 5 September, has been halted.

 

The floods wiped out the pilgrims' main community kitchen, along with dozens of vehicles and motorbikes, and destroyed or washed away many homes.

 

Temporary bridges have been constructed to help stranded pilgrims cross the turbulent stream, and excavators are clearing large rocks, fallen trees, and other debris. Nearly 4,000 pilgrims have already been evacuated.

 

The Kishtwar district is also home to several hydropower projects, which experts have long warned threaten the region's fragile ecosystem. More heavy rain and flooding have been forecast for the area.

 

 

 

Hundreds of Tourists Stranded in Pakistan

In northern and northwestern Pakistan, flash floods have killed at least 243 people, including 157 in the Buner district on Friday alone.

 

Mohammad Suhail told the Associated Press that dozens are still missing, and search operations are ongoing. Rescue teams have recovered 78 bodies and found another 79 in the rubble of houses and flooded villages.

 

Dozens more were injured in Buner, where authorities declared a state of emergency. Rescue workers with boats and helicopter support are struggling to reach the stranded villagers. A government statement confirmed that ambulances had transported more than 100 bodies to hospitals.

 

 

Bila L. Faizi, a spokesperson for the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa emergency services, said rescue teams worked for hours to rescue 2,000 tourists stranded by floods and landslides in the Siran valley, Mansehra district, and other areas.

 

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordered disaster management agencies to evacuate all affected people at an emergency meeting. A helicopter carrying aid to the Bajaur region crashed in bad weather, killing all five people on board, including two pilots.

 

According to the National Disaster Management Authority, the latest fatalities bring the death toll from the rain since 26 June to 556.

 

 

 

Region Hit by Repeated Flooding

Pakistan's Gilgit-Baltistan region has experienced multiple floods since July, triggering landslides along the Karakoram Highway, a vital trade route and tourist passage. The area's glaciers hold 75% of Pakistan's water reserves.

 

Hundreds of thousands of people travel to these scenic northern and northwestern regions during the two-month summer school holiday. This year, many ignored repeated government warnings about the risk of landslides and flash floods.

 

Pakistan’s disaster management agency has issued new warnings about the danger of glacial lake outburst floods in the north and advised tourists to avoid affected areas.

 

A study by the international World Weather Attribution network found that rainfall in Pakistan between 24 June and 23 July was 10-15% heavier than normal due to global warming.

 

In 2022, Pakistan's worst-ever monsoon season killed over 1,700 people and caused an estimated $40 billion in damage.