Friday 18 / July / 2025
Dozens of people have been killed in flooding in Punjab in eastern Pakistan over the past two days with the country experiencing around twice the amount of rainfall compared to July last year.
At least 54 people had been killed in a period of 24 hours on Thursday – a figure which, according to local media, had increased to least 63 by Friday.
According to the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), Pakistan as a whole has experienced 82% more rainfall so far this month compared to the same period in 2024, a percentage which increases to 124% for the eastern Punjab region.
Almost 200 deaths have been reported nationwide since June 26.
On Thursday, authorities imposed a so-called section 144 warning which bans bathing, swimming or boating in rivers, canals, ponds, lakes, reservoirs or any other open spaces where rainwater may have accumulated.
Television news footage showed an army helicopter plucking three members of a family from the roof of their house after they were stranded by a flash flood on the outskirts of Rawalpindi, which neighbors the capital city of Islamabad on the Sawan river.
Tourists were advised to avoid travel to affected areas where rains could trigger landslides and block highways.
Pakistan: 'Medium-level' flooding on Friday
On Friday, the PDMA reported "medium-level" flooding in the town of Kalabagh on the Indus river and "low-level" flooding in four other locations.
"The flow of water in rivers is increasing due to monsoon rains and glacial melting," said a PDMA spokesperson in a statement.
Pakistan's second-largest city, Lahore, received "light to moderate" rain on Friday, according to the local Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA).
Meanwhile, Pakistan's National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has forecasted several more spells of heavy rain in the coming weeks, starting with a seven-day period next week and continuing with further spells into late August.
In 2022, extreme rain and flooding inundated a third of the country, killing over 1,700 people. Authorities have warned they cannot rule out a repeat.
