LAHORE/ISLAMABAD/PESHAWAR (MNN); Torrential monsoon rains continued to batter several parts of Pakistan on Monday, triggering flash floods, urban inundation and roof collapses that claimed multiple lives, while authorities issued fresh warnings of high flooding in the country’s major rivers over the coming days.
In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Landi Kotal, a vehicle carrying Afghan families returning to their homeland was swept away by a powerful flash flood near Sultan Khel Market after heavy rainfall.
According to Rescue 1122, rescue teams immediately launched a search operation. Divers, assisted by local residents, recovered the bodies of a man and a woman from Jamrud, while the body of a child was found in the Parang Sang area. The bodies were initially shifted to Type-D Hospital Jamrud before being transported to the Afghan refugee camp in Landi Kotal.
During the rescue operation, emergency workers also recovered the body of another man identified as a resident of Jamrud. Search efforts for the remaining missing passengers continued until late Monday.
In a separate rain-related tragedy in Mardan’s Kalu Dheri village, the roof of a house collapsed, killing two children. Their mother and a 14-year-old girl sustained injuries and were shifted to Mardan Medical Complex Hospital for treatment.
The latest incidents came after the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) forecast widespread monsoon rainfall across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and other regions between July 19 and July 23, warning of flash floods, landslides and urban flooding.
Following the forecast, Rescue 1122 Khyber Pakhtunkhwa held an emergency preparedness meeting chaired by Director General Shah Fahad, who directed all district emergency officers to remain on maximum alert.
Rescue teams, boats, emergency vehicles and specialised equipment have been deployed across vulnerable districts, while temporary water rescue points have been established near rivers, streams and seasonal waterways.
Authorities urged the public to avoid unnecessary travel, stay away from rivers and flood channels, and immediately contact the 1122 emergency helpline in case of any emergency.
Meanwhile, the Peshawar Electric Supply Company (PESCO) established a central control room and placed all operational teams on high alert. Consumers were advised to avoid electricity poles, transformers and waterlogged electrical installations, and not to attempt repairs themselves.
Heavy rainfall also affected Lahore, where several areas received significant precipitation.
According to the Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA), Gulshan-e-Ravi recorded the highest rainfall at 98 millimetres, followed by Johar Town (86.4mm), Samanabad (85.4mm) and Iqbal Town (82.4mm). Other areas, including Saggian, Shadipura, Nishtar Town and Farrukhabad, also witnessed heavy showers.
Rescue 1122 confirmed that a 22-year-old man was electrocuted in Lahore’s Shadbagh area during the rain, while seven members of a family were rescued after the roof of their house collapsed in Nain Sukh. The injured were shifted to Mayo Hospital, where one woman was reported to have suffered serious head injuries.
In Azad Jammu and Kashmir’s Neelum district, heavy rains caused widespread destruction. According to the district administration, two houses were completely washed away, while 16 others sustained partial damage.
Initial assessments also reported damage to 44 shops, two vehicles, 13 motorcycles, 16 link bridges, 12 electricity poles, one mosque and a private school building.
Deputy Commissioner Chaudhry Iqbal Hassan said relief assistance had been provided to affected families, while machinery was working to clear flood debris and restore damaged roads.
Meanwhile, the Flood Forecasting Division (FFD) of the Pakistan Meteorological Department issued a fresh warning of rising water levels in the country’s major rivers due to continued monsoon rains combined with a strong westerly weather system.
The FFD warned that River Chenab could experience high flood levels at Marala, while elevated water flows are also expected in the Jhelum upstream of Mangla, associated nullahs of the Jhelum, Chenab and Ravi rivers, and the River Kabul along with its tributaries.
Flash flooding has also been forecast in the hill torrents of Dera Ghazi Khan, streams of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and northern Balochistan, while urban flooding remains a concern in Rawalpindi, Jhelum, Gujranwala, Sargodha, Khushab, Sialkot, Gujrat, Narowal, Lahore, Okara, Sahiwal, Bahawalnagar and Faisalabad.
Officials from the Punjab Irrigation Department said the Chenab River is currently flowing at a medium flood level but could rise to a high flood category if heavy rainfall continues in the catchment areas of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab.
The latest water data released by the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) showed that the Indus River continues to flow at low levels at Tarbela, Kalabagh, Chashma, Guddu, Sukkur and Kotri, while the Jhelum River is flowing between low and medium flood levels and the Chenab remains at medium to high flood at several monitoring stations.
Authorities have urged residents in vulnerable districts to remain vigilant, follow official weather advisories and avoid travelling through flood-prone areas as monsoon activity is expected to intensify over the coming days.
