Islamabad, Pakistan – Flash floods and landslides have killed a minimum of 21 folks in 24 hours throughout Pakistan, taking the overall dying toll on this yr’s monsoon to 242.
No less than three folks died within the northern area of Gilgit-Baltistan on Tuesday when a cloudburst induced floods and landslides, stranding greater than 200 vacationers who had been later rescued, officers mentioned.
“Up to now, now we have rescued between 200 and 250 folks in varied areas who arrived for tourism functions. All of them are Pakistani nationals. In the meantime, between 15 to twenty persons are nonetheless lacking, and search efforts are ongoing,” Farmanullah Khan, a authorities official in Gilgit-Baltistan, informed Al Jazeera.
Officers mentioned the rescued vacationers had been moved to town of Chilas, the place they had been offered shelter in lodges and guesthouses.
“Rescue operations are actively underneath solution to find lacking vacationers with army personnel collaborating within the efforts. Helicopters can be deployed for rescue if essential,” Faizullah Faraq, spokesperson for the Gilgit-Baltistan authorities, mentioned in an announcement.
On Monday, a minimum of 4 different vacationers had been killed and 15 went lacking because of the floods within the area’s Diamer district.
In the meantime, the Nationwide Catastrophe Administration Authority (NDMA) on Tuesday mentioned a minimum of 10 folks died in neighbouring Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, together with six youngsters.
The NDMA mentioned a lot of the deaths had been attributable to home collapses as above-average rains pounded the South Asia nation, nonetheless recovering from the floods of 2022, which killed almost 1,700 folks and displaced greater than 30 million.
An NDMA official informed Al Jazeera the rains this yr have been extra intense in contrast with final yr.
“That is the fourth spell throughout this monsoon and is predicted to go on until July 25,” he mentioned on situation of anonymity as a result of he was not authorised to talk to the media.
On Tuesday, the NDMA issued a landslide alert for a number of northern areas, together with elements of each Gilgit-Baltistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
The Pakistan Meteorological Division has forecast widespread rain, winds and thundershowers for Tuesday throughout northern Pakistan and elements of Punjab province.
Pakistan, which has a inhabitants of about 250 million, is without doubt one of the world’s most susceptible international locations to local weather change. Additionally it is residence to greater than 7,000 glaciers – the biggest exterior the Earth’s polar areas.
On June 26, Gilgit-Baltistan’s Catastrophe Administration Authority warned of an elevated danger of glacial lake outburst floods and flash floods and requested folks to keep away from approaching rivers, streams and different waterways.
Zakir Hussein, director common of the authority, mentioned that whereas warnings assist scale back the presence of vacationers, they don’t seem to be all the time sufficient.
“Typically, vacationers take note of our warning notices. Those that nonetheless select to come back are both those that didn’t see the warning or those that have some urgency to go to,” Hussein informed Al Jazeera. “On the finish of the day, it’s climate prediction, however contemplating the severity of the results, folks ought to take it severely.”
In the meantime, on the outskirts of the capital, Islamabad, two folks using in a automotive had been swept right into a storm drain at a residential complicated. A video circulating on social media confirmed the car being carried away by floodwaters into the drain.
Rescue officers have launched a seek for the lacking passengers.
Abdul Moiz, an area pharmacy proprietor, mentioned just a few outlets had been open within the space on Tuesday because of the relentless rain.
“It’s a sturdy storm and doesn’t appear to be stopping anytime quickly. I dwell in the identical society, and whereas it might have been straightforward to remain indoors, I assumed this can be a time when folks may want medicines, so I’m right here at my store,” he informed Al Jazeera by way of phone.