More than 150 still missing in flood-ravaged Buner district

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.

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Since Thursday, torrential rain across the country has 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 rain that is only expected to intensify in the days ahead drove flooding and landslides that collapsed houses.

More than 150 people are missing in hardest-hit Buner district, where at least 208 people were killed and “IO to 12 entire villages” were partially buried, officials told reporters.

“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,” Khattak added.

“There is no electricity or mobile signal in Buner, as power lines and mobile towers were damaged,” he added. The spokesman for the province’s rescue agency said that around 2,000 rescue workers were involved across nine districts, where rain was still hampering efforts.