Peshawar [Pakistan], August 17 (ANI): Rescue teams in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) districts continued to dig through mud and debris on Saturday after flash floods triggered by days of heavy monsoon rainfall claimed the lives of at least 344 people in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa within 48 hours, officials said, according to the Express Tribune.

According to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), 324 deaths has been recorded in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, while additional fatalities were reported in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) and Pakistan occupied Gilgit-Baltistan (PoGB). At least 137 people sustained injuries as houses collapsed and floodwaters swept away residents, livestock and vehicles, reported the Express Tribune.

Authorities stated the scale of destruction prompted the provincial government to declare six districts, Buner, Bajaur, Swat, Shangla, Mansehra and Battagram as disaster-hit. Thousands of homes were destroyed, while major roads, bridges and link routes were washed away, complicating relief and rescue work.

'Heavy rainfall, landslides and washed-out roads are severely hampering rescue efforts, particularly the transportation of heavy machinery and ambulances,' said Bilal Ahmed Faizi, spokesman for K-P's rescue agency, reported the Express Tribune.

'In some areas, workers are forced to walk long distances to reach disaster sites,' he said. 'They are trying to evacuate survivors, but very few people are relocating due to the deaths of their relatives or loved ones being trapped in the debris.'

Nearly 2,000 personnel have been deployed for rescue operations, though officials cautioned that more victims may remain trapped under rubble in remote areas.

In Shangla district alone, 37 people were confirmed dead, with several others still missing. Torrential flooding, landslides and lightning strikes has left hundreds injured, destroyed houses and displaced entire communities.

Officials said 11 people lost their lives in PoJK, nine in PoGB, and five more in Bajaur district after a government helicopter carrying out a relief mission crashed due to bad weather on Friday.

The meteorological department has also issued a heavy rainfall alert for northwestern regions, urging people to take precautionary measures. (ANI)