Pakistan Faces Criticism as Death Toll Hits 274 in Flood Response Battle

Rising Death Toll and Ongoing Challenges

Rescuers have recovered dozens more bodies from the rubble of collapsed homes in a northwestern district of Pakistan, increasing the death toll to at least 274. Authorities have defended their response to the flooding and stated that they do not need foreign assistance at this time. The heavy rains and subsequent flooding have also claimed lives in neighboring Kashmir.

Mohammad Suhail, a spokesperson for Pakistan's emergency service, reported that 54 bodies were found in Buner, a mountainous area in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The region was hit by torrential rains and cloudbursts, which led to massive flooding on Friday. Villagers remain missing, and search efforts are focused on areas where homes were flattened by the force of water that swept down from the mountains, carrying boulders that smashed into houses like explosions.

Authorities have warned of more deluges and possible landslides between now and Tuesday, urging local administrations to stay alert. Higher-than-normal monsoon rains have been lashing the country since June 26, resulting in over 600 deaths.

In India-administered Kashmir, across Pakistan’s northeastern border, rains triggered flash floods in two villages in the Kathua district, killing seven people. Officials said rescuers in Chositi village are still searching for dozens of missing individuals after the area was hit by flash floods last week during an annual Hindu pilgrimage. At least 60 people were killed, and some 150 injured. More than 300 others were rescued.

Warnings of More Intense Rain

Residents in Buner have accused officials of failing to warn them to evacuate after torrential rain and cloudbursts triggered deadly flooding and landslides. There was no warning broadcast from mosque loudspeakers, a traditional method used in remote areas.

The government stated that although an early warning system was in place, the sudden downpour in Buner was so intense that the deluge struck before residents could be alerted. Lt. Gen. Inam Haider, chairman of the National Disaster Management Authority, said at a hastily convened news conference in Islamabad that Pakistan is experiencing shifting weather patterns due to climate change. Since the monsoon season began in June, Pakistan has already received 50% more rainfall than in the same period last year, he added.

He warned that more intense weather could follow, with heavy rains forecast to continue this month. Some countries have reached out to Islamabad offering help, but Haider said Pakistan has sufficient resources and does not require foreign assistance at this time.

Asfandyar Khan Khattak, director-general of the Provincial Disaster Management Authority, said there was “no forecasting system anywhere in the world” that could predict the exact time and location of a cloudburst—a sudden and intense downpour.

Survivors and Missing Individuals

Mohammad Iqbal, a schoolteacher in Pir Baba village, said the lack of a timely warning system caused casualties and forced many to flee their homes at the last moment. “Survivors escaped with nothing,” he said. “If people had been informed earlier, lives could have been saved and residents could have moved to safer places.”

Idrees Mahsud, a disaster management official, said Pakistan’s early warning system uses satellite imagery and meteorological data to send alerts to local authorities. These were shared through the media and community leaders. He noted that monsoon rains that once only swelled rivers now also trigger urban flooding.

An emergency services spokesman in Buner, Mohammad Sohail, said more than half the damaged roads in the district had reopened by Sunday, allowing vehicles and heavy machinery to reach cut-off villages. Crews were clearing piles of rocks and mud dumped by the floods. They were still using heavy machinery to remove the rubble of collapsed homes after families reported that some of their relatives were missing.

In one of the deadliest incidents, 24 people from one family died in the village of Qadar Nagar when floodwaters swept through their home on the eve of a wedding. The head of the family, Umar Khan, said he survived the floods because he was out of the house at the time. Four of his relatives have yet to be found.

Climate Change and Vulnerability

Pakistan is highly vulnerable to climate-induced disasters. In 2022, a record-breaking monsoon killed nearly 1,700 people and destroyed millions of homes. The country also suffers regular flash floods and landslides during the monsoon season, which runs from June to September, particularly in the rugged northwest, where villages are often perched on steep slopes and riverbanks.

Experts say climate change is intensifying the frequency and severity of such extreme weather events in South Asia. Khalid Khan, a weather expert, said Pakistan produces less than 1% of planet-warming emissions but faces heat waves, heavy rains, glacial outburst floods, and now cloudbursts, underscoring how climate change is devastating communities within hours.