More than 300 dead in Pakistan monsoons

Nearly 350 people have died due to monsoon rains that have hit northern Pakistan since Thursday, authorities announced Sunday, adding that at least 150 people are missing in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province.

Since Thursday, torrential rains have caused flooding, flash floods, and landslides that have destroyed entire villages, trapping residents under the rubble. Many victims died from being swept away by the waters, their homes collapsing, or electrocuted. In that province bordering Afghanistan alone, 317 deaths were recorded in two days, half the total for the current monsoon season.

In Buner district, "at least 150 people are reported missing and may be trapped under the rubble of their homes or have been swept away by the waters," Asfandyar Khattak, director of the Provincial Disaster Management Authority, told AFP.

Pakistan, the fifth most populous country in the world, is one of the most vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Pakistan's 255 million people have already suffered massive and deadly floods, glacial lake bursts, and unprecedented droughts in recent years—phenomena that scientists say will likely increase under the influence of climate change.

Also in China, flash floods hit the Inner Mongolia region on Saturday night, killing nine people and leaving three missing. Thirteen campers were caught in the "sudden" rise in waters in the Urad area around 10 p.m. (1400 GMT), Xinhua reported.

More than 700 personnel are involved in the search for the missing, with only one person being rescued alive.