At least 49 people have died in northwestern Pakistan and elsewhere in the country in the past 24 hours in flash floods caused by heavy rains, officials said today.
Rescuers evacuated 1.300 stranded tourists from a mountainous district hit by landslides.
More than 360 people, mostly women and children, have died in rain-related incidents across Pakistan since June 26. The majority of the latest deaths were reported in northern and northwestern Pakistan, local officials said.
At least 10 people died yesterday when they were swept away by flash floods in the Gazar district of Gilgit-Baltistan, said regional government spokesman Faizullah Farak.
Another 16 people, including women and children, died a day earlier in Bajaur district in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province when heavy rain triggered flash floods, a rescue official said, adding that another 17 people were swept away by the water and were still missing.
Floods also hit the northwestern Batagram district, killing 19 people and leaving 18 still missing, a government official said.
Seven more people died yesterday in separate rain-related incidents in the Pakistani part of Kashmir, which is divided between Pakistan and India and claimed by both countries.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provincial emergency services spokesman Bilal Faizi said rescuers worked for hours to rescue 1.300 tourists who were trapped by flash floods and landslides in Mansehra district of the Siran Valley yesterday.
The Gilgit-Baltistan region has been hit by numerous floods since July, triggering landslides along the Karakoram Highway, a key trade and tourism route linking Pakistan and China and used by tourists to travel to the attractive north.
The area also contains glaciers that store 75 percent of Pakistan's water.
Pakistan's Disaster Management Agency has issued new warnings about glacial lake outburst floods and flooding in the north, and warned travelers not to go to those areas.
A study published this week by the World Weather Attribution network of international scientists suggests that rainfall from June 24 to July 23 is 10 to 15 percent higher due to global warming. Experts say sudden, intense rains over small areas are becoming more frequent in the country.
In 2022, the country's worst monsoon season on record killed more than 1.700 people and caused damage estimated at $40 billion.
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