Rain on Monday halted search and rescue operations in northern Pakistan after flash floods that have killed nearly 350 people with around 200 still missing, officials said.

Torrential rains across the country since Thursday have caused flooding, rising waters and landslides that have swept away entire villages and left many residents trapped in the rubble.

Most of the deaths -- more than 320 -- were reported in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, according to the provincial disaster agency, which warned of new flash floods "till Thursday".

Volunteers had been assisting hundreds of rescue workers in their race against time to find possible survivors and retrieve bodies as fresh rains started lashing the province.

"This morning fresh rains forced a halt to relief operations," said Nisar Ahmad, 31, a volunteer in worst-hit Buner district, where "12 villages have been completely wiped out and 219 bodies have been recovered".

"Dozens of bodies are still buried under the mud and rocks, which can only be recovered with heavy machinery. However, the makeshift tracks built to access the area have once again been destroyed by the new rains," he added.

Around 200 people are still missing in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, according to local authorities.

- 'We feel scared' -

Many people fled to seek shelter under damaged infrastructure and in the mountains in Buner, an area with difficult terrain.

"Even if it rains a little now, we feel scared because there was light rain that day. And then the unsuspecting people were swept away by the storm," said Buner resident Ghulam Hussain, 35.

"Children and women are running and screaming up the mountains to escape," Hazrat Ullah, 18, told AFP.

Volunteer Ahmad said there were also fears for the future due to a lack of food supplies and clean water.

"Many livestock have also perished in the cloudburst, and their decomposing bodies are spreading a foul odour in several places. Right now, our most urgent need is clean drinking water, and I appeal to the government to provide it," he said.

The monsoon season brings about three-quarters of South Asia's annual rainfall, which is vital for agriculture and food security but also causes widespread destruction.

According to the National Disaster Agency, the intensity of this year's monsoon is about 50 to 60 percent higher than last year.

Landslides and flash floods are common during the monsoon season, which typically begins in June and lasts until the end of September.

The heavy rains that have battered Pakistan since the start of the summer monsoon have claimed the lives of more than 650 people, with over 920 injured.

Hopes for survivors wane after Pakistan flooding kills hundreds
Buner, Pakistan (AFP) Aug 17, 2025 -

Pakistani rescuers dug homes out from under massive boulders on Sunday as they searched for survivors of flash floods that killed at least 344 people, with more than 150 still missing.

Torrential rains across the country since Thursday have caused flooding, rising waters and landslides that have swept away entire villages and left many residents trapped in the rubble.

Most of the deaths, 317, were reported in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where monsoon rains that are only expected to intensify in the days ahead drove flooding and landslides that collapsed houses.

"We saw all the houses, buildings, and vehicles being swept away like pieces of wood. We managed to climb up the mountain, and when we looked down, our home was gone," said Suleman Khan, a schoolteacher in Buner district who lost 25 relatives.

More than 150 people are missing in Buner, where at least 208 people were killed and "10 to 12 entire villages" were partially buried, officials told AFP.

"They could be trapped under the rubble of their homes or swept away by floodwaters," said Asfandyar Khattak, head of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Provincial Disaster Management Authority.

"Separately, in Shangla district, dozens of people are also reported missing," Khattak added.

The spokesman for the province's rescue agency told AFP that around 2,000 rescue workers were involved across nine districts, where rain was still hampering efforts.

"The operation to rescue people trapped under debris is ongoing," said Bilal Ahmad Faizi.

"The chances of those buried under the debris surviving are very slim," he added.

AFP journalists in Buner saw half-buried vehicles and belongings lying strewn in the sludge, with mud covering houses and shops.

After days without power, the electricity supply was restored on Sunday afternoon.

A grave digger, Qaiser Ali Shah, told AFP he dug 29 burial places in the last two days.

"I have also dug six graves for children. With each grave, it felt as though I was digging it for my own child," he said.

"For the first time, my body simply refused to carry me through. That's why today I apologised and said I cannot do this work anymore."

Flooded roads hampered the movement of rescue vehicles, as a few villagers worked to cut fallen trees to clear the way after the water receded.

"Our belongings are scattered, ruined and are in bad shape," shopkeeper Noor Muhammad told AFP as he used a shovel to remove mud.

"The shops have been destroyed along with everything else. Even the little money people had has been washed away," he added.

The provincial government has declared the severely affected mountainous districts of Buner, Bajaur, Swat, Shangla, Mansehra and Battagram as disaster-hit areas.

"Every house in our area has been destroyed," said Buner resident Bakht Rawan.

"Our loved ones are still buried under the mud, stones, and collapsed houses," he told AFP.

"We appeal to the government to please send machinery to us."

- Mass funerals -

On Saturday, hundreds gathered for mass funerals, where bodies wrapped in blood-stained white shawls were laid out on the village ground.

Fallen trees and straw debris were scattered across nearby fields, while residents shovelled mud out of their homes.

Pakistan's meteorological department has forecast "torrential rains" with monsoon activity "likely to intensify" from Sunday onwards.

Iran said it stood ready to provide "any cooperation and assistance aimed at alleviating the suffering" in neighbouring Pakistan, while Pope Leo XIV addressed the flooding with prayers "for all those who suffer because of this calamity".

The monsoon season brings South Asia about three-quarters of its annual rainfall, vital for agriculture and food security, but also brings destruction.

"The intensity of this year's monsoon is around 50 to 60 percent more than last year," said Lieutenant General Inam Haider, chairman of the national disaster agency.

"Two to three more monsoon spells are expected until the first weeks of September," he told journalists in Islamabad.

Landslides and flash floods are common during the season, which usually begins in June and eases by the end of September.

The torrential rains that have pounded Pakistan since the start of the summer monsoon have killed more than 650 people, with more than 920 injured.

Pakistan is one of the world's most vulnerable countries to the effects of climate change and is contending with extreme weather events with increasing frequency.

Monsoon floods in 2022 submerged a third of the country and killed around 1,700 people.

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