Flash floods triggered by heavy rains kill at least 49 people in northwestern Pakistan

People wade through a flooded street in Rawalpindi. (Courtesy: Reuters file photo)

Flash floods triggered by heavy rains killed at least 49 people in northwestern Pakistan and elsewhere in the country over the past 24 hours, officials said Friday, as rescuers evacuated 1,300 stranded tourists from a mountainous district hit by landslides.

More than 360 people, mostly women and children, have died in rain-related incidents across Pakistan since June 26. Most of the latest deaths were reported in northern and northwestern Pakistan, according to local officials.

At least 10 people were killed Thursday after being swept away by flash floods in Ghazar district in the Gilgit-Baltistan region, said regional government spokesman Faizullah Faraq.

Another 16 people, including women and children, also died Thursday in Bajaur district in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province when a massive cloudburst led to flash flooding, said rescue official Amjad Khan. He said 17 others were swept away and remain missing.

Flash floods also hit Battagram, a district in the northwest, killing 10 people, government administrator Saleem Khan said. He said another 18 people were still missing.

Seven more people died Thursday in separate rain-related incidents in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, which is split between Pakistan and India and claimed by both in its entirety, according to the state disaster management authority.

Bilal Faizi, a provincial emergency service spokesman in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, said rescuers worked for hours to save 1,300 tourists after they were trapped by flash flooding and landslides in the Siran Valley in Mansehra district on Thursday.

Faraq said Gilgit-Baltistan has been hit by multiple floods since July, triggering landslides along the Karakoram Highway, a key trade and travel route linking Pakistan and China that is used by tourists to travel to the scenic north.

Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari in a statement expressed his sorrow and grief over the losses and asked authorities to expedite the rescue and relief work in the flood-affected areas.

Gilgit-Baltistan is also home to scenic glaciers that provide 75% of Pakistan’s stored water supply. Pakistan’s disaster management agency has issued fresh alerts for glacial lake outburst flooding in the north, warning travelers to avoid affected areas.

A study released this week by World Weather Attribution, a network of international scientists, found rainfall from June 24 to July 23 was 10% to 15% heavier because of global warming. Experts say sudden, intense downpours over small areas — known as cloudbursts — are becoming increasingly common in the country.

In 2022, the country’s worst monsoon season on record killed more than 1,700 people and caused an estimated $40 billion in damage.