Pakistan Army airlifts stranded tourists in Kumrat Valley (VIDEO)

SWAT – Relief and rescue operations continued in the country’s northwestern region on Saturday as Pakistan Army rescued 22 tourists who got struck near Upper Dir of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province.

In a statement, the Inter-Services Public Relations said, the troops established contact for the search of a few families from Islamabad who got stranded in Kumrat due to a sudden flash flood.

Many of the families, who visited the picturesque valley, could not be evacuated due to bad weather.

The military spokesperson said those people are safe and will be evacuated by army aviation helicopters as and when weather permits, saying a ground party is also ready from Khaweza Khela for evacuation.

Pakistan Army Aviation has rescued 22x people from #Kumrat, #Swat, #KPK, more will be rescued soon, when weather permits 🇵🇰 pic.twitter.com/yZWPQTpdqq

— ENTEI (@ZEUS_PSF) August 27, 2022

Meanwhile, Army urged Pakistanis not to travel toward northern areas in wake of alerts of more flash floods.

Earlier, students, including females and males both, called on authorities to evacuate them.

In one of the viral, a girl can be seen saying it’s been two days and they are braving chilly weather. "We are forced to sleep on the flood with no food and water," she added .

It’s been more than 2 days now and the family is still there with no food & water. They are sick and slept in an open sky. Could the govt of KP rescue them from Kumrat some how. The location & details are below. https://t.co/lDGRsiKk57 pic.twitter.com/ZF6NSNFcrM

— Ihtisham Ul Haq (@iihtishamm) August 27, 2022

Earlier in the day, Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa visited flood-affected areas and inquired about the well-being of local people affected by the flash floods.

COAS also met armed forces personnel busy in relief operations and appreciated their efforts in service of men, women, and children in distress.

ISPR while quoting the top commander said “The safety and well-being of our countrymen come first and we won’t rest until each one of flood affected is not only reached but rehabilitated, no matter how much effort is required”.

COAS called Pakistani people a priority, adding that we won’t spare any effort to assist them in this difficult time.

He also directed to utilize all available resources to assist the civil administration for the rescue, relief, and rehabilitation of people and infrastructure in flood-affected areas. “We must reach out to our brothers and sisters in need without waiting for orders and help them overcome this natural calamity,” Gen Bajwa stressed.

Pakistan Army accelerated its relief efforts for flood victims as the government declared a national emergency due to rain-induced floods that have killed more than 900 people, including 343 children.

According to the military’s media wing, a total of 5,487 ration packs and over 1,200 tents have been distributed among families affected by the flooding.

Sindh and Balochistan remain the worst-hit regions as the abnormal increase in rainfall generated flash floods across the country.