Pakistan resumes rescue operations in flood-hit areas; death toll over 300

Authorities in Pakistan resumed rescue and relief work on Monday in the country’s northern areas where flash floods have killed over 300 people after heavy rain forced them to suspend operations for several hours, a government official said.

Heavy rains that started on Friday have claimed lives and spread destruction in several northern districts, with most people killed in flash floods, according to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).

In hilly areas, the rains caused flash floods as well as mud and rock slides that washed away houses, buildings, vehicles and belongings.

Buner district was the worst hit, with over 200 deaths.

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Heavy rain in the flood-hit areas, including Buner, forced rescue teams to halt relief efforts for several hours on Monday, a regional government officer, Abid Wazir, told Reuters.

“Our priority is now to clear the roads, set up bridges and bring relief to the affected people,” he said.

Relief goods have been sent to the affected areas, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar told a local news channel.

Food, medicine, blankets, camps, an electric generator and de-watering pumps are included in the relief goods, the disaster management authority said in a statement.

Buner, a three-and-a-half-hour drive from Islamabad, was hit by a cloudburst, a rare phenomenon in which more than 100 mm (4 inches) of rain falls within an hour in a small area, officials said.

In Buner, there was more than 150 mm of rain within an hour on Friday morning, they said.

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More heavy rain was expected across Pakistan until early September, officials said.

“The current weather system is active over the Pakistan region and may cause heavy to very heavy rainfall during the next 24 hours,” the NDMA said on Sunday.

Torrential rains and flooding this monsoon season have killed 657 people across Pakistan since late June, it said.