The chief of staff of the army (COAS), Marshal Asim Munir, ordered all units of the Pakistani army deployed in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) to intensify rescue and rehabilitation efforts for communities ravaged by unprecedented floods of monsoon, issuing special operational orders to strengthen the local response.
According to security sources, the army chief has sent additional troops to the hardest affected areas while the highest military commanders coordinate closely with the civil authorities. “Each soldier’s day’s salary was dedicated to the populations affected by the floods,” said sources, adding that more than 600 tonnes of army rations have also been given to strengthen emergency supplies.
Completing the field efforts, the Corps of Engineers was invited to accelerate repairs to damaged bridges and to establish temporary level passages to restore vital connectivity. A specialized team of urban research and rescue of the army, as well as the K-9 unit of Nine Unit, were deployed to help in search of operations in submerged and inaccessible areas.
Learn more: Tormential rains claims 198 lives in KP, five die in a rescue helicopter accident
Army helicopters and aviation units already operate in the affected regions to support evacuation and medical aid. “The Pakistani army is on the shoulder with KP’s resilient people in this hour of need,” said a military spokesperson.
The announcement comes when KP is struggling with worsening conditions with a death assessment 24 hours of at least 198, including 21 injuries, following a wave of torrential rains and a deadly cloud. The tragedy has worsened when a military helicopter carrying rescue supplies crashed in the middle of chaos, killing the five staff members on board.
The current monsoon crisis has made more than 350 lives on a national scale since its start, with nearly 200 deaths in the last day – highlighting the seriousness of this “unusual” meteorological event. Climatologists say that such events become more frequent and intense due to global climate change.
