Khyber Pakhtunkhwa [Pakistan], July 22: At least four children lost their lives on Monday as flash floods triggered by heavy monsoon rains caused widespread destruction in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Swat district, ARY News reported.
Torrential rains led to landslides and powerful flood currents across various areas of the district, resulting in the deaths of four children and leaving one child missing, according to ARY News. Rescue efforts are currently underway to locate the missing child.
In the remote Shanko area of Madyan, a landslide struck a house, killing three children and injuring their mother. ARY News reported that in the Sodher area of Malam Jabba, two children were swept away by flash floods. One of them, a 7-year-old boy, was confirmed dead, while the other remains missing.
Rainfall continues intermittently in the upper regions, prompting residents of low-lying areas along the Swat River to begin evacuating due to rising water levels, ARY News stated.
Local residents criticised the authorities, claiming that no prior flood warning or alert had been issued by the administration, ARY News added.
Meanwhile, at least three tourists have been confirmed dead and 15 are reported missing following severe landslides and flash flooding triggered by a cloudburst at Babusar Top, a mountainous pass in Gilgit-Baltistan, ARY News reported.
The cloudburst caused intense flooding and landslides across a 7 to 8-kilometre stretch around Babusar Top, blocking roads at 14 to 15 different locations, according to ARY News.
Over 15 vehicles have been swept away by the floodwaters. Rescue teams have recovered three bodies from the floodwaters, and efforts are ongoing to retrieve vehicles buried under the debris after the landsliding, ARY News stated. Tourists stranded in various locations have been relocated to safer areas.