Two hundred tourists who were stranded in Kumrat Valley, located in Upper Dir district, have been safely rescued, according to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Culture and Tourism Authority.
A spokesperson for the authority, speaking to media, confirmed that the tourists were rescued from areas including Dojangla, Kala Chesma, and Abshar. They were taken to the Grand Palace Hotel, from where they will be transported to Kalam.
The spokesperson added that all the rescued tourists were being provided with food and other essential services, with full support from the police and district administration in the ongoing rescue operation.
The tourists became stranded after heavy rainfall caused road blockages in Kumrat Valley.
The successful rescue comes a day after a tragic incident in Maidan Tehsil, Upper Dir, where 13 members of a family lost their lives when their roof collapsed due to heavy rains.
Pakistan’s monsoon season typically occurs from July to August, with the country receiving around 255 millimetres of rain each month.
In 2022, monsoon rains caused widespread damage across Pakistan, with over 75,000 homes destroyed and 130,000 partially damaged in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa alone, according to data from the government and international aid agencies.
A report from the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), issued on August 28, revealed that 74 people have been killed and 128 injured due to the ongoing monsoon season in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from July to August 28.
The report also noted that 906 houses have been damaged by rain-related incidents over the past two months.
From July 29 to August 1, heavy rains claimed the lives of 24 people and injured 17 others in the province, according to the KP PDMA.
On August 17, a local government representative was swept away by strong currents in a Swabi stream, and a young boy lost his life when a wall collapsed in Bannu due to flash floods triggered by heavy rains in several districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
