Northern Pakistan, August 15, 2025 — Torrential monsoon rains have unleashed havoc across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Gilgit-Baltistan (GB), and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), leading to deadly flash floods, landslides, cloudbursts, flash floods, landslides, cloudbursts. At least 78 people have perished due to these rainstorms while many more remain injured while many more are missing due to these devastating weather events.
KP Bear the Burden of Disaster
Bajaur district alone in KP has seen 21 people killed due to sudden cloudbursts that unleashed powerful floodwaters that washed away homes, bridges, and roads in Salarzai and Jabrrai areas due to sudden cloudbursts that led to devastating floods caused by sudden cloudbursts that unleashed sudden cloudbursts, leaving devastated homes, bridges, roads in their wake. Four victims also perished in Lower Dir, seven deaths reported in Battagram as well as additional casualties reported from Swat and Shangla according to local disaster authorities. Wikipedia =11 Dunya News =11 SUCH TV =11
Gilgit-Baltistan and AJK Are Also Hard Hit
At least 10 lives were lost to flash floods and landslides in Greater Baltimore (GB), particularly Ghizer district where three — including one woman– died, as many homes were covered with debris, leaving several dozen unaccounted-for residents missing and one child injured along the Babusar Road in Diamer’s Bonar area. Residents in Ghizer’s Yasin Thoi, Thor, Astore valley are now dealing with extensive damages to homes, schools, roads and farmland resulting from these storms (Geo.tv +2)
AJK was not exempt. A cloudburst near Muzaffarabad claimed five family members while flash floods in Neelum Valley left over 500 tourists stranded at base camp, according to reports by The Express Tribune and GNN – Pakistan’s Largest News Portal (GNN).
Rescue Operations Underway Under Extreme Conditions
Rescue workers from Rescue 1122, local volunteers, police, and paramilitary units have responded rapidly to all three regions, but treacherous terrain, washed-out roads, and continued rain have hampered efforts. Bajaur remains plagued with missing individuals while those stuck in Neelum await evacuation. All three regions will require evacuation at some point during this emergency situation. [+1] Dunya News will keep providing updates regarding this story – + 1.
Devastation on a Broader Scale
This wave of devastation in KP, GB and AJK adds further misery to an already grim year in Pakistan. Since late June, Pakistan has reported hundreds of flood-related deaths nationwide; seven volunteers killed while working to repair flood damage were confirmed recently in Gilgit-Baltistan alone by rain-related casualties alone – this included seven killed while helping repair it via mudslides. (Sources for these stories include The Express Tribune +6/AP News +6 GNN – Pakistan’s Largest News Portal).
Warning Signs and Structural Vulnerabilities
Meteorological experts note that disasters arising from intense cloudbursts — sudden downpours exceeding 100 millimeters/hour — have proven especially destructive due to fragile mountain ecosystems and unplanned development projects. Regional leaders have expressed alarm over climate change’s intensifying impacts on disaster-prone regions. [Reuters +2]
Political and Humanitarian Responses
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and federal authorities have been asked to increase emergency aid and delivery of relief services. Schools throughout AJK have temporarily closed while local leaders assure victims’ families they are working on aid and reconstruction plans; express condolences have also been extended while promises of compensation were issued by Geo.tv.
GNN: Pakistan’s Largest News Portal
As floodwaters recede and rescue operations resume, communities throughout Pakistan’s mountainous north prepare for another round of monsoon rains. Residents’ fears are clear: with ageing infrastructure and more serious climate threats than ever before, unpreparedness has never been higher — in terms of human lives, economic costs, and emotional turmoil.