At least fifteen people lost their lives in the Swabi district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa after being swept away by flash floods triggered by intense monsoon rains, officials confirmed on Monday. The region has been severely impacted by the seventh spell of monsoon downpours, which have unleashed widespread devastation across multiple districts of the province. Torrential rains caused cloudbursts and landslides, cutting off access to remote areas and washing away key roads, leaving communities stranded.
In Swabi, the situation turned dire when heavy rainfall triggered a cloudburst in Darorai village. According to Deputy Commissioner Nasrullah Khan, the powerful flow of floodwaters submerged 12 houses, sweeping away residents and resulting in the confirmed deaths of 15 people. He described the floodwaters as extraordinarily strong, adding that the hilly terrain of the district also witnessed multiple landslides, further worsening the destruction.
Emergency services were immediately mobilized, with rescue teams and local administration rushing to the affected areas. Additional rescue units were summoned from nearby districts, including Haripur and Mardan, to assist in relief efforts. The deputy commissioner also appealed to local residents to volunteer in aiding the rescue and support operations for the distressed families.
In Gadoon, another part of Swabi, floodwaters created a critical situation. Rescue teams reported that several people trapped by rising waters were retrieved from rooftops once the water began to recede.
Meanwhile, the continuous downpour disrupted normal life in other parts of the district as well. On Jahangira Road, water accumulation led to traffic disruptions, and in Tor Dher, the boundary wall of a private school collapsed due to heavy rains.
Adding to the tragedy, a separate incident in the Gadoon Sar Koi Banda area claimed four more lives. The roof of a house collapsed during heavy rainfall, killing four members of a family and injuring seven others. Rescue officials confirmed that eleven people were inside the house at the time of the collapse.
The deceased were identified as 37-year-old Neelam, 40-year-old Naeema, 18-year-old Anees, and one-and-a-half-year-old Hadi. The injured, many of them in critical condition, were shifted to a nearby hospital for urgent medical treatment.
These incidents highlight the severe toll the ongoing monsoon rains are taking on Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where authorities continue to struggle against the dual challenges of flooding and landslides while working to save lives and provide relief to the displaced.
