Cloudburst, lightning strike kill 21, Several missing in Bajaur

BAJAUR: At least 21 people were killed and several others injured in a cloudburst and lightning strike in Jabrai area of Tehsil Salarzai in Bajaur district on Thursday night.

According to officials, the disaster occurred around midnight, destroying several houses and burying many under the debris.

Locals immediately launched rescue operations while rescue teams arrived late at night. However, the rapid flow of water and the rising water level made it difficult for machinery to reach the affected area.

Deputy Commissioner Bajaur Shahid Ali told the media that 21 bodies have been recovered so far, while three injured have been shifted to the District Headquarters Hospital Khar. Search operations are underway, with at least seven people still missing.

Eyewitnesses said that the cloudburst caused the water level to rise to dangerous levels, cutting off access routes and complicating rescue operations. Local residents are continuing to assist emergency services as well as rescue efforts.

Three people, including a woman, died in floods and landslides following heavy rains in the Khalthi Valley of Ghizer district of Gilgit-Baltistan.

A sibling lost his life after being swept away by floodwaters in the Bunar area of Diamer.

At least eight people have been killed and two injured in floods and landslides in Azad and Jammu and Kashmir.

Six members of a family lost their lives in a cloudburst in Muzaffarabad’s Naseerabad tehsil.