Islamabad: The death toll in seasonal floods in northern Pakistan has risen to 200, amid expectations of increased human and material losses in the affected areas.

According to Qatar News Agency, the Pakistan Disaster Management Authority (PDM) reported that heavy monsoon rains in the northern regions of the country have resulted in landslides and floods, leading to 194 fatalities in the past 24 hours.

The majority of the deaths were recorded in the mountainous province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where 180 people have succumbed to these climatic events. The PDM also noted that nine individuals lost their lives in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, while five died in Gilgit-Baltistan, with most fatalities attributed to floods and house collapses.

Additionally, a rescue operation faced a tragic setback when a helicopter crash claimed the lives of five people, including two pilots, as they were en route to the disaster-stricken areas. In response to the devastation, the provincial government has declared Buner, Bajaur, Mansehra, and Batagram as disaster zones due to their severe impact.

The Meteorological Department has issued warnings of continued heavy rainfall in the northwestern regions, urging residents to avoid “unnecessary presence in vulnerable areas.” The monsoon rains, responsible for 70 to 80 percent of South Asia’s annual rainfall, are crucial for agriculture and food security. However, they also result in significant damage, causing hundreds of casualties and economic losses.

Pakistan is among the countries most susceptible to the impacts of climate change. The heavy rains that have persisted since the onset of the summer monsoon season, described as “extraordinary” by authorities, have claimed over 320 lives, nearly half of whom are children. In July, the province of Punjab, which houses nearly half of Pakistan’s 255 million population, experienced a 73 percent increase in rainfall compared to the previous year, with a higher death toll than the entire last rainy season. The previous year’s floods inundated a third of the country and resulted in 1,700 deaths.