Flash floods triggered by pre-monsoon rains swept away dozens of vacationers in northwest Pakistan on Friday (June 27, 2025), killing at the least eight individuals.
The nationwide dying toll from rain-related incidents rose to 18 over the previous 24 hours, officers stated.
Nearly 100 rescuers in numerous teams rescued a complete of 58 individuals and had been looking for the lacking vacationers who had been swept away whereas picnicking alongside the Swat River in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, stated Shah Fahad, a spokesman for the provincial emergency service.
He stated solely three individuals belonging to an prolonged household of 16 could possibly be rescued and others are nonetheless lacking.
Fahad stated divers had up to now recovered eight our bodies after hours-long efforts and the search continued for the remaining 10 victims.
Videos circulating on social media confirmed a couple of dozen individuals stranded on a barely elevated spot in the center of the Swat River, crying for assist amid quickly rising floodwaters.
Fahad urged the general public to stick strictly to earlier authorities warnings about potential flash flooding in the Swat River, which runs by means of the scenic Swat Valley — a well-liked summer season vacation spot for tens of 1000’s of vacationers who go to the area in summer season and winter alike.
Elsewhere, at the least 10 individuals had been killed in rain-related incidents in japanese Punjab and southern Sindh provinces over the previous 24 hours, in response to rescue officers.
Weather forecasters say rains will proceed this week. Pakistan’s annual monsoon season runs from July by means of September.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed his deep sorrow and grief over the deaths of the vacationers swept away by the floods in the Swat River. In a press release, he directed authorities to strengthen security measures close to rivers and streams.
Heavy rains have battered components of Pakistan since earlier this week, blocking highways and damaging houses.
Still, climate forecasters say the nation will obtain much less rain in contrast with 2022 when the climate-induced downpour swelled rivers and inundated one-third of Pakistan at one level, killing 1,739.
