Pakistan deployed the army and declared a state of emergency across parts of eastern Punjab on Thursday after torrential rains and flash floods killed more than 60 people and injured over 300 in just 24 hours, officials and local media said.
According to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), army helicopters have been dispatched to rescue people stranded by floodwaters in Rawalpindi, Chakwal, Jhelum and other affected districts.
The district administration called in the army to assist with search and rescue efforts in Chakwal district, which has received 450 millimeters of rain since Wednesday - an amount equivalent to several months’ rainfall in the span of a few hours.
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz announced an emergency in multiple districts, including Rawalpindi and Chakwal, due to the deteriorating weather conditions.
In a post on X, she said: "An emergency has been declared in various areas of Punjab due to unprecedented stormy rains and flooding. Government institutions are working with zeal and utmost effort."
The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) reported that 63 people lost their lives and 290 were injured in the last 24 hours. Since the start of the monsoon season on June 26, the death toll in Punjab has reached 103, with 393 injured.
A total of 178 people have lost their lives in rain-related accidents across the country during the ongoing monsoon season since June 26, the NDMA data showed.
Most casualties were caused by the collapse of buildings and electrocution.
Pakistan army helicopters also launched an urgent aerial rescue mission and rescued a family stranded by rising waters in Rawalpindi, according to local media reports.
Meanwhile, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has issued a warning for continued torrential rains and wind-thundershowers across the country until July 17.
Most of the casualties have been reported from provincial capital Lahore, Faisalabad and Bahawalpur as the country has received 30% to 40% more rains so far this year.
Heavy rains washed away roads, bridges, and dams, disconnected villages, uprooted trees and utility poles; and triggered evacuations in different parts of the province.
They also triggered landslides, sending torrents of mud and tumbling boulders downhill, which blocked roads at different points, including the capital Islamabad.
Footage aired on local broadcaster Geo News showed massive amounts of water gushing through the streets in Rawalpindi, washing away vehicles and household items, with residents wading through waist-deep water to look for safety.
Separate footage showed an army helicopter rescuing people stranded in flash floods as rainwater entered hundreds of houses in the low-lying areas across the province.
Torrents of water also washed away a small dam in Chakwal, inundating adjoining villages.
Farooq Ahmed, a spokesperson for the provincial rescue department, said in a statement that over 15,000 rescuers, backed by hundreds of boats and other rescue materials, have been deployed across the province.
The South Asian country has been under a heavy monsoon spell over the past two weeks. Monsoon rains often cause destruction in Pakistan, but their ferocity, unpredictability, and intensity have increased in recent years due to the impacts of climate change.
In a related development, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif visited the national emergency center in Islamabad to get a briefing on the latest situation after heavy rains, state-run Pakistan Television reported.
He directed the NDMA and four provincial governments to prepare a 10-year strategy to tackle the climate change-related challenges, as the unusual rains and floods are expected to strike the country in the years to come.
