Peshawar: The death toll from heavy rains and flooding in Pakistan has crossed 300, local officials said on Saturday. Hundreds have been killed in recent weeks as Pakistan experienced more rain than usual during the current monsoon season, washing away roads and buildings. The majority of the deaths, 211, were recorded in mountainous Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, according to the National Disaster Management Authority.

According to TRTworld.com, a helicopter carrying relief supplies to the cloudburst-hit Bajaur area crashed on Friday, killing five crew members, including two pilots, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The provincial government has declared the severely affected mountainous districts of Buner, Bajaur, Swat, Shangla, Mansehra, and Battagram disaster-hit areas.

Meanwhile, the provincial rescue agency told AFP that around 2,000 rescue workers were engaged in recovering bodies from the debris and carrying out relief operations in nine affected districts. “Heavy rainfall, landslides in several areas, and washed-out roads are causing significant challenges in delivering aid, particularly in transporting heavy machinery and ambulances,” Bilal Ahmed Faizi, spokesman for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Rescue agency told AFP.

He added, “Due to road closures in most areas, rescue workers are travelling on foot to conduct operations in remote regions. They are trying to evacuate survivors, but very few people are relocating due to the deaths of their relatives or loved ones being trapped in the debris.”