Babur. At least 344 people have been killed and more than 150 missing in devastating floods in northwest Pakistan, provincial disaster management agency chief Asfandiyar Khattak said on Sunday.

Thousands of rescuers are digging houses buried under the rubble, searching for survivors amid heavy rain and mud. “Around 150 people are still missing in Buner district alone. They may have been trapped under the debris or washed away by floods,” Khattak said. Dozens of people are also missing in Sangla district, he said.

Most of the damage has been done in weaving. At least 208 people were killed and about 10-12 villages were partially buried, a provincial rescue spokesman said.

“Rescue operations are underway to rescue those trapped under the debris,” rescue agency spokesman Bilal Ahmed Faizi said. According to him, around 2,000 rescue workers have been deployed in nine districts for relief operations.

Buner, a mountainous district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, was hit by flash floods and landslides on Friday. Emergency services spokesman Mohammad Sohail said vehicles and heavy machinery had started reaching remote villages after more than half of the damaged roads were opened. Police and rescue workers are searching for the missing people under the debris of the destroyed houses, removing stones and mud.

The biggest accident took place in Kader Nagar village. On the eve of the wedding, 24 members of a family were killed when floodwaters entered their homes. Umar Khan, the head of the family, survived as he was out of the house. Four of his relatives are still missing.

Provincial Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandhapur on Saturday announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 million (about $7,200) to the families of the deceased. He also said that initiatives are being taken to prevent the spread of water-borne diseases by providing tents, food and clean drinking water.

Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif is directly monitoring the relief work and has instructed to expedite the immediate distribution of aid, rescue of stranded and search for missing persons, according to an official statement.

The Disaster Management Authority (DMA) has warned of further floods and landslides from August 17 to 19 and urged the local administration to remain alert. So far, more than 600 people have lost their lives in the monsoon that began on June 26 this year.

In 2022, pakistan’s record monsoon rains killed nearly 1,700 people and destroyed millions of homes. During the June-September monsoon every year, villages, especially in the northwestern hilly region, are vulnerable to flash floods and landslides.

According to experts, such extreme weather events are becoming more and more severe in South Asia due to climate change. Meanwhile, indian-administered Kashmir has also witnessed flash floods following heavy rains. At least seven people were killed and five others injured in Kathua district. Rescue teams are still searching for the remote Chositi village of Kishtwar district after the floods three days ago. At least 60 people were killed and more than 150 injured in the incident. Around 50 of the injured are in critical condition.

The floods occurred during the annual Hindu pilgrimage. Authorities have rescued more than 300 people and evacuated nearly 4,000 pilgrims.