In Pakistan and Kashmir, the death toll from floods and landslides caused by heavy monsoon rains has reached 307.
According to the disaster management authority, most of the victims were recorded in the mountainous Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in north-western Pakistan. At least 74 houses were destroyed in the region. During rescue operations, an M-17 helicopter crashed, killing all five crew members on board. Nine people died in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, while five deaths were reported in the northern Gilgit-Baltistan region.
The official meteorological service has warned that heavy rainfall will continue in the north-western part of the country until 21 August. Several areas have been declared disaster zones. Witnesses of the flood in Buner district described the event as a “doomsday scene.” The government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa declared a day of mourning.
It was also reported that in Kashmir at least 60 people died as a result of severe flooding. During the monsoon season, from June to September, about three-quarters of South Asia’s annual rainfall occurs. This year’s season has already claimed the lives of more than 300 people in the region. Experts emphasize that climate change is causing extreme weather events to occur more frequently.
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