Peshawar, Pakistan (AP) – Flash floods caused by heavy rain killed more than 280 people; India and Pakistan Over the past 24 hours, authorities said on Friday as rescuers brought about 1,600 people safely from two mountainous regions in the neighbouring countries, authorities said.
In Pakistan, a helicopter carrying relief supplies to the northwest Bajaur region, which was hit by floods on Friday due to bad weather, killed all five people, including two pilots, the government’s statement said.
Sudden, intense downpours in small areas known as cloudbursts are becoming increasingly common Himalayan region of India and Northern Region of Pakistantends to cause flash floods and landslides. Cloudbursts can wreaking havoc by causing severe flooding and landslides, affecting thousands of people in mountainous areas.
Experts say cloudburst has been on the rise in recent years Climate changeMeanwhile, storm damage is also increasing due to unplanned development in mountainous areas.
The top leaders of both countries expressed their sadness to the families of the victims and guaranteed prompt relief.
There are no dozens of people in the remote Himalaya village.
in India controlled Kashmirrescuers searched for missing people in remote Himalayan village of Cho City on Friday after flash floods a day earlier killed at least 60 people and at least 80 people went missing, officials said.
At least 300 people were rescued Thursday after a powerful cloudburst caused flooding and landslides, but operations stopped overnight. Authorities said it is believed that many missing people have been washed away.
Local resident Harbinder Singh took part in rescue operations shortly after the disaster, helping to retrieve 33 bodies from under the mud.
At least 50 seriously injured people were treated at local hospitals, many of whom were rescued from streams filled with mud and debris. Disaster Manager Mohammed Ilshad said the number of missing people could increase.
Weather officials are forecasting more heavy rain and flooding in the area.
Located in Kashmir’s Kishtwar district, Chocity is the last village accessible by motor vehicles on the route of the annual Hindu pilgrimage to the mountainous region at an altitude of 3,000 meters (9,500 feet). Officials said the pilgrimage, which begins on July 25th and is scheduled to end on September 5th, has been suspended.
The devastating flood wiped out the main community kitchen set up for pilgrims, as well as dozens of vehicles and motorcycles. More than 200 pilgrims were in the kitchen at the time of the flood, but many homes were also gathered or washed away in the hillside, officials said.
Sneha, who gave only one name, said that her husband and daughter had been cleaned when they blew the mountains away. They were eating in the community kitchen, and she and her son were nearby. The family had come for a pilgrimage, she said.
Social media photos and videos show the great damage caused by damaged vehicles in the village and household items scattered next to the house. Authorities built a makeshift bridge on Friday, using dozens of earth plants to shift rocks, uprooted trees, electric poles and other debris to help marginalized pilgrims cross the muddy waterways.
Throughout Friday, officials evacuated nearly 4,000 pilgrims who were left behind in various parts of the woodland, officials said.
The Kishtwar district has multiple hydroelectric projects, and experts have long warned that it poses a threat to the region’s vulnerable ecosystems.
Hundreds of tourists trapped in Pakistan’s floods
Flash floods have killed at least 243 people in northern and northwest Pakistan in the last 24 hours.
Mohammad Suhail told The Associated Press that dozens of people are still missing and rescue operations are ongoing.
He said by noon Friday, 78 bodies had been recovered from various parts of the district, and another 79 people had been pulled from the tile ble in the collapsed house and flooded village.
“The death toll could rise as we are still looking for dozens of missing people,” Suhail said.
Dozens have been injured as a flood destroyed a home in Banner’s village, and authorities declared an emergency on Friday. Ambulances transport more than 100 bodies to hospitals, according to a government statement.
The helicopter that crashed on Friday was on a relief mission when it fell in the northwest, state Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur said.
At least 35 people in these areas were still missing, local officials said.
Rescuers supported by boats and helicopters worked to reach the stuck residents. Dozens of villagers are still missing and the death toll is likely to rise, said Kashif Kaiyum, the manager of Banner government.
According to the National Disaster Management Agency, the latest deaths bring the total number of rain-related deaths to 556 since June 26th.
Deaths were reported from various parts of Pakistan on Thursday. Bilal Faizi, a spokesman for the state emergency services in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, said rescuers had worked hours to save 1,300 tourists after being trapped in flash floods and landslides in Silan Valley, Mansera district on Thursday.
Prime Minister Shebaz Sharif ordered the Disaster Management Bureau to ensure evacuation of tourists and all those struck by floods.
Gilgit-Baltistan Region It has suffered multiple floods since July, causing landslides along the Karakolam Highway. The Karakolam Highway is the main trade and travel route that links Pakistan and China, used by tourists to travel to the scenic north. There is something scenic in this area Glaciers provide 75% of Pakistan’s water storage supply.
Over the summer, if schools close for more than two months, hundreds of thousands travel to scenic destinations in northern and northwest Pakistan. This year, despite repeated government warnings about landslides and flash floods, many have visited popular resorts in areas still struck by floods. Officials said rescuers have evacuated nearly 2,000 tourists from areas affected by rain and flooding to safer locations in the past 24 hours.
Pakistan’s disaster management agency has issued new alerts regarding explosion floods in glacial lakes in the north, warning travelers to avoid any impact.
A study released this week by World Weather Attribution, a network of international scientists, found that rainfall in Pakistan from June 24 to July 23 was 10% to 15% heavy due to global warming. 2022 has killed more than the worst monsoon season in the country on record 1,700 people caused an estimated $40 billion in damage.
___
Khan reported from Pakistan’s Peshawar. Pakistani contributors include Munier Ahmed of Islamabad, Anwarra Khan of Bajur, Abdul Rehman of Gilgit, Rasol Dawar of Peshawar and Ishfaq Hussein of Muzaffarabad.
