Hopes for survivors wane after flash floods kill more than 300 in Pakistan

BUNER, Pakistan — Pakistani rescuers dug homes out from under massive boulders on Sunday as they searched for survivors of flash floods that killed at least 344 people, with more than 150 still missing.

Torrential rains across the country since Thursday have caused flooding, rising waters and landslides that have swept away entire villages and left many residents trapped in the rubble.

Most of the deaths, 317, were reported in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, where monsoon rains that are only expected to intensify in the days ahead drove flooding and landslides that collapsed houses.

"We saw all the houses, buildings and vehicles being swept away like pieces of wood," said Suleman Khan, a schoolteacher in Buner district who lost 25 relatives. "We managed to climb up the mountain, and when we looked down, our home was gone."

More than 150 people are missing in Buner, where at least 208 people were killed and "10 to 12 entire villages" were partially buried, officials told Agence France-Presse.

"They could be trapped under the rubble of their homes or swept away by floodwaters," said Asfandyar Khattak, head of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Provincial Disaster Management Authority.

"Separately, in Shangla district, dozens of people are also reported missing."

The spokesman for the province's rescue agency told AFP that around 2,000 rescue workers were involved across nine districts, where rain was still hampering efforts.

"The operation to rescue people trapped under debris is ongoing," Bilal Ahmad Faizi said. "The chances of those buried under the debris surviving are very slim."

AFP journalists in Buner saw half-buried vehicles and belongings lying strewn in the sludge, with mud covering houses and shops.

After days without power, the electricity supply was restored on Sunday afternoon.

Burial places

A grave digger, Qaiser Ali Shah, told AFP that he had dug 29 burial places in the past two days.

"I have also dug six graves for children. With each grave, it felt as though I was digging it for my own child," he said.

"For the first time, my body simply refused to carry me through. That's why today I apologized and said I cannot do this work anymore."

Flooded roads hampered the movement of rescue vehicles, as a few villagers worked to cut fallen trees to clear the way after the water receded.

"Our belongings are scattered, ruined and are in bad shape," shopkeeper Noor Muhammad told AFP as he used a shovel to remove mud.

"The shops have been destroyed along with everything else. Even the little money people had has been washed away," he added.

The provincial government has declared the severely affected mountainous districts of Buner, Bajaur, Swat, Shangla, Mansehra and Battagram as disaster-hit areas.

"Every house in our area has been destroyed," said Buner resident Bakht Rawan.

"Our loved ones are still buried under the mud, stones and collapsed houses.

"We appeal to the government to please send machinery to us."

Pakistan's meteorological department has forecast "torrential rains "with monsoon activity "likely to intensify".

The monsoon season brings South Asia about three-fourths of its annual rainfall, vital for agriculture and food security, but also brings destruction.

"The intensity of this year's monsoon is around 50 to 60 percent more than last year," said Lieutenant General Inam Haider, chairman of the national disaster agency.

"Two to three more monsoon spells are expected until the first weeks of September," he told journalists in Islamabad.

Agencies via Xinhua