PESHAWAR (Kashmir English): More than 150 people are still missing in northwest regions of Pakistan after flash floods killed at least 344 people in the country.
The figures were shared by the provincial disaster management authority on Sunday.
Thousands of rescuers are battling rain and knee-deep mud, digging homes out from under massive rocks in a desperate search for survivors.
People swept away by floodwaters
“In Buner, at least 150 people are still missing. They could be trapped under the rubble of their homes or swept away by floodwaters,” Asfandyar Khattak, head of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Provincial Disaster Management Authority, told international media.
“Separately, in Shangla district, dozens of people are also reported missing,” he added.
Khattak further said that the ongoing rain was making rescue operations extremely difficult.
“There is no electricity or mobile signal in Buner, as power lines and mobile towers were damaged in the flash floods,” he added.
In hardest-hit Buner district, at least 208 people lost their lives and “10 to 12 entire villages” partially buried, a provincial rescue spokesman said.
“The operation to rescue people trapped under debris is ongoing,” said Bilal Ahmed Faizi of the KP rescue agency.
He said around 2,000 rescue workers were busy in recovering bodies from the debris and mud, and carrying out relief operations across nine districts, where rain was still hampering efforts.