ISLAMABAD — More than 20 people have died in Pakistan after a fresh spell of heavy monsoon rains struck the country on Wednesday, worsening an already devastating season that has claimed more than 400 lives in the past week.
The latest casualties include 11 people in the mountainous Gilgit-Baltistan region and 10 in Karachi, the country’s southern financial hub, where urban flooding led to electrocution and the collapse of homes, according to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).
Schools were shut in Karachi, a city of over 20 million, as the meteorological office warned of more downpours lasting until the weekend. Roads were waterlogged, power was cut across several neighbourhoods, and commuters were stranded in rising waters. “Weak infrastructure is to blame,” said Amir Hyder Laghari, Sindh province’s chief meteorologist.
By Wednesday morning, some floodwaters had receded, but the damage was clear. Dozens of homes were destroyed across two districts, provincial disaster official Muhammad Younis said.
In the north, the toll has been far heavier. Since last Thursday, more than 350 people have died in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where villages have been buried under landslides and torrents of rainwater. Rescue workers and the army are still searching for those missing.
Colonel Irfan Afridi, overseeing relief in Buner district, said: “We have established camps to provide medical aid, food rations, and tents to survivors.” Buner has been among the hardest hit, with over 220 deaths recorded.
For many families, the disaster has left deep scars. “The children are scared. They cannot sleep at night because of fear,” said Anjum Anwar, a medical camp worker in Buner. “The flood has destroyed entire settlements.”
Communication lines remain patchy in several districts, with blocked drainage systems and broken roads hampering relief efforts. Authorities have warned that monsoon rains could continue until mid-September.
Pakistan is one of the countries most vulnerable to climate change. Monsoon seasons, which typically run from June to September, have become increasingly severe. In 2022, floods submerged nearly one-third of the country, killing about 1,700 people.
This year, nearly 750 lives have already been lost to monsoon floods – a reminder of how extreme weather is reshaping life in one of the world’s most climate-exposed nations.
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