Category: 1. Pakistan

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — Flash floods triggered by heavy monsoon rains swept away several vehicles carrying tourists in northern Pakistan, killing at least three people and leaving 15 others missing, officials said on Tuesday.

Pakistani rescue officials say the above-normal monsoon rains since June 26 have killed at least 225 people and injured more than 500 across the country. Experts say climate change is driving an increase in extreme weather events in the region.

A cloudburst caused floods and landslides on Monday, stranding more than 200 local tourists after a key highway near the northern Chilas district was blocked, said Faizullah Faraq, a government spokesperson in the Gilgit-Baltistan region. Army helicopters were used in the evacuation, which included women and children, he said.

Several vehicles had been buried under the rubble of landslides and rescuers are using heavy machinery to find the missing tourists and residents, Faraq said. Three bodies have been recovered.

The National Disaster Management Authority issued an updated flood days before, warning against travel to northern areas due to potential landslides and blocked roads.

Earlier this month, authorities warned they cannot rule out a repeat of extreme weather like the 2022 floods that submerged a third of the country and killed 1,737 people.

With the onset of the monsoon season in Pakistan, which typically lasts from late June to September, different parts of the country are witnessing heavy rainfall and a heightened risk of extreme weather events like flash floods and landslides, especially in its northern and western regions.

According to the Global Climate Risk Index, Pakistan ranks as the fifth most vulnerable country to climate change. Devastating flash floods in 2022 killed at least 1,700 people, affected more than 33 million, swept away swathes of agricultural land, and caused losses worth $30 billion, according to governmental estimates.

This year, floods and rain-related incidents like roof collapses and electrocution have killed at least 234 people, including 112 children, since June 26, according to a report by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).

What are flash floods?

According to the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), flash flood is “a flood of short duration with a relatively high peak discharge in which the time interval between the observable causative event and the flood is less than four to six hours.”

It is generally characterised by raging torrents after heavy rains, a dam or levee failure or a sudden release of water in a previously stopped passage that rips through riverbeds, urban streets, or mountain canyons, sweeping away everything in its path.

They differ from riverine floods in terms of their rapid onset and decline, high intensity, and unpredictability as well as their usually more localised impact in hilly and mountainous areas rather than the plains.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has previously highlighted the danger to local and seasonal streams in areas like Murree, Galiyat, Mansehra, Kohistan, Dir, Swat, Shangla, Nowshera, Swabi, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Dera Ghazi Khan, northeastern Punjab, and Kashmir.

Besides natural causes, a number of anthropogenic (deriving from human activity) factors contribute to either creating the conditions that favour the development of flash floods or increase the associated risk, such as settlements on flood plains, urbanisation, deforestation, and failure to maintain or manage drainage systems.

What are landslides?

A landslide, on the other hand, is defined as the movement of a mass of rock, debris, or earth down a slope. The term encompasses five modes of slope movement: falls, topples, slides, spreads, and flows.

Landslides usually have multiple causes. Slope movement occurs when forces acting down-slope (mainly due to gravity) exceed the strength of the earth materials that compose the slope.

Causes include factors that increase the effects of down-slope forces and factors that contribute to low or reduced strength.

What to do during a flash flood or landslide

According to the NDMA, communities and individuals can take several preventive measures to reduce the impact of flash floods as well as landslides. These include:

1. Stay informed about weather forecasts and flood alerts.
2. Evacuate to higher ground immediately if advised by authorities.
3. Assess property damage and prioritise safety during cleanup efforts.
4. Prepare an emergency kit with essentials like food, water, medications, and documents.
5. Avoid walking or driving through floodwaters; they may be deeper or faster-flowing than they appear.
6. Seek medical attention for injuries or illnesses related to the flood.
7. Follow instructions from emergency services and local authorities.
8. Organise community cleanup efforts to remove debris and restore infrastructure.
9. Establish and maintain early warning systems to alert residents of potential floods.
10. Engage volunteers for emergency response and build shelters for displaced residents.
11. Provide support services such as counselling and relief assistance to affected individuals and families.
12. Conduct drills and exercises to practice evacuation procedures.
13. Coordinate with neighbouring communities and authorities for flood conditions, mutual aid and support.
14. Implement long-term flood mitigation measures like improving drainage systems and resilience.

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Header Image: A person rides a motorbike through a flooded street after a downpour in Lahore, Pakistan on July 9, 2025. — Reuters

A young student was allegedly beaten to death by his madressah teachers on Monday evening in Swat’s Chaliyar village, according to the police.

Swat District Police Spokesperson Moin Fayaz said in a statement that the victim, Farhan, had missed classes for a few days before the incident occurred.

Police and eyewitnesses said that three teachers reportedly beat Farhan in front of fellow students.

“He had just returned to school after being absent for some days,” said one of Farhan’s classmates, who chose not to be named.

“Our teachers started hitting him hard. Later, they dragged him into a side room and kept beating him. I was called in to bring water. He drank a little, then put his head in my lap — and just went silent.”

Farhan was rushed to the nearest hospital by students and teachers, but doctors declared him dead upon arrival, according to Fayaz.

A first information report (FIR), a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, has been registered against all three suspects under Sections 302 (premeditated murder) and Section 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code, as well as Section 37 (punishment for violence) of the Child Protection Act (CPA).

“One of the suspects has been taken into custody, while efforts are underway to arrest the other two.

“This is a deeply disturbing case. A thorough investigation is ongoing, and we are committed to ensuring justice for the child and his family,” Fayaz said.

Farhan’s uncle, Saddar Ayaz, told Dawn.com that when his nephew was at home, he was afraid to go back to the madressah and did not want to return.

“I took him to the seminary myself, handed him over to the teachers, and went back,” Ayaz said. “Later that evening, one of the teachers called me and told me that my nephew had fallen in the toilet and died.”

Human rights groups and local residents have demanded action — not just to punish those responsible, but to prevent future tragedies.

“Farhan could have been any of our children,” said Haider Ali, a local elder. “He went to study. He never came back.”

Under the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Child Protection and Welfare Act 2010 and its 2018 regulations, corporal punishment is a punishable offence, violation of which can result in up to six months of imprisonment or a Rs50,000 fine, or both.

In May this year, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Private Schools Regulatory Authority, through a notification, strictly prohibited corporal punishment in all private schools across the province after receiving complaints.

Violations, however, continue to prevail. According to a recent report by the KP Child Protection and Welfare Commission (KPCPWC), children across the province were subjected to 33 different forms of abuses, including 14 incidents of corporal punishment.

In April, a seminary teacher in Kasur was arrested for allegedly beating a student with a hot iron for not memorising his lesson at Bangla Kambovan.