The head of the Provincial Disaster Authority disclosed on Sunday, more than 150 people are missing in northwest Pakistan, following flash floods that have wrecked devastation in the country, killing more than 300 people.
Thousands of rescuers were battling heavy rain and knee-deep mud, excavating homes out from under massive boulders in a serious search for survivors.
Head of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Provincial Disaster Management Authority, Asfandyar Khattak, told AFP: “In Buner, at least 150 people are still missing. They could be trapped under the rubble of their homes or swept away by floodwaters.
“Separately, in Shangla district, dozens of people are also reported missing.”
Khattak said, rescue operations are extremely difficult due to ongoing rain.
He continued: “There is no electricity or mobile signal in Buner, as power lines and mobile towers were damaged in the flash floods.”
In Buner, the hardest-struck district, at least 208 people were killed and “10 to 12 entire villages” buried partially, a provincial rescue spox revealed to AFP.
Bilal Ahmed Faizi of the province’s rescue agency said, around 2,000 rescue workers were busy in recovering bodies from the rubbles and carrying out relief operations in nine (9) districts, where rain continues to hinder efforts.
Faizi said: “The operation to rescue people trapped under debris is ongoing.”
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization, posted on X: “The devastating floods in #Pakistan have affected many people — I extend my deepest condolences to those who lost loved ones.
“@WHO is supporting the government to meet health needs, and has sent medical supplies to treat 15,000 people”
Photo: A boy sits in front of shops damaged by Friday’s flash flooding on the outskirts of Pir Baba, Buner district, in Pakistan’s northwest, Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025 | Muhammad Sajjad, AP
