Pakistan Monsoon Floods 2025: 45 Dead as Heavy Rains Hit Provinces

Flash flooding and rain have already taken the lives of at least 45 individuals in Pakistan in the last few days, marking the beginning of a catastrophic 2025 monsoon season. The deaths have been reported by disaster management authorities as several provinces have seen widespread damages, especially in populated and low-lying regions.

The highest number of deaths were in the Afghanistan bordering Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Official sources said that 21 individuals lost their lives there, 10 of whom were children. Flash floods also hit Swat Valley where several families that had assembled on the bank were washed away, resulting in the loss of 14 lives. The tragedy has created concern over security in mountain and riverbank locations where the infrastructure is not capable of withstanding flash floods.

13 individuals lost their lives in the most populated province of Pakistan sharing a border with India, and that is Punjab, since Wednesday. Eight of them were children who died as roofs and walls caved in during hours of heavy rain. The rest of the adults were massacred by flash floods here. Urban as well as rural areas were hit by problems of drainage as well as emergency response, contributing to the mounting death toll.

The remaining provinces that were hit are Sindh and Balochistan, where 11 people lost their lives. All these are just part of the extensive coverage of the monsoon rains to different landscapes and communities.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department has issued advisories indicating that the threat of heavy rain and additional flash flooding is also set to continue at least through Saturday. Emergency responders have been notified, and people living in flood or low-lying areas are cautioned to take precautions.

This new spate of monsoon-related deaths follows in the immediate wake of the same category of weather accidents in May when 32 people died across the country due to turbulent storms, including hail. The frequency and intensity of such events are indicators of growing climate-based vulnerabilities in the country that has over 240 million people.

Pakistan has long been known as one of the world's most climate-exposed countries. Pakistan has seen a growing number of climate-related weather events such as floods, droughts, and heatwaves in recent times. Climate researchers and experts keep flagging the inadequate resilient infrastructure and long-term policy to protect the country from the effects of such climate-related tragedies.

The crisis highlights the importance of more intense disaster preparedness, more early warning systems, and people's action and awareness. As rescue and relief operations continue, the larger challenge is how to provide assurance that coming monsoons will no longer deliver repetitive loss of lives and extensive disruption.

The situation continues to be under observation as authorities track weather updates and continue carrying out response operations throughout affected areas.

Source: AFP, 2025
Photo credit: People wade through a waterlogged road in Karachi after heavy rains. (AFP)