PESHAWAR: Death toll from rain-related incidents in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa surged to 24 on Thursday as two people lost lives in Bajaur and Buner districts.

The Provincial Disaster Management Authority said that 24 people had died and 23 had been injured in rain-related incidents since July 19.

According to it, Gadezai, Gokand and Barando Khwar water bodies in Buner swelled late on Wednesday due to heavy rain, with a rickshaw driver being washed away by floodwaters.

Meanwhile, a child was killed and four family members injured due to the collapse of a house in Salarzai tehsil of Bajaur.

The incident occurred in the mountainous Batwar area when a room of Niaz Mohammad’s house caved in on Thursday morning due to heavy rain.

Officials said five family members of Niaz Mohammad were critically injured in the incident.

Tamima, 2, later died, while four family members, including two women, suffered critical injuries.

Three houses were damaged, several key roads blocked and electric supply disrupted, with heavy rainfall triggering floods in rivers and streams in parts of Shangla district.

The downpour caused flash floods in various areas, damaging three houses and blocking major roads, leaving commuters and travellers stranded for hours.

Residents complained about the suspension of electric supply in several localities.

The road closures disrupted traffic, leaving travellers stranded.

In Dera Ismail Khan district, floodwaters entered parts of Kulachi town after a breach developed in the flood protection embankment, damaging several houses and threatening dozens more.

Residents said the breach allowed floodwater to flow into Mohalla Qasimabad and Mohallah Usmankhel. People attempted to plug the gap using locally available materials before the flow of water subsided, temporarily averting a wider disaster.

Workers of the emergency rescue service rescued two people in rain-related incidents in Lakki Marwat and Karak districts.

Torrential rains also battered Lower South Waziristan tribal district for a second consecutive night, while flash floods damaged agricultural land in several parts of the district.

The strategically important Wana-Gomal Zam Road remained closed to heavy traffic for a second day after landslides triggered by heavy rainfall deposited mud, rocks and large boulders on the carriageway at multiple locations.

District executive engineer at the communication and works department Ikram Wazir said a clearance operation was continuing with excavators and tractors, but persistent rainfall had slowed efforts to remove debris and restore traffic.

“If there is no further rainfall, we expect to reopen the Wana-Gomal Zam Road to both light and heavy traffic by Friday,” he said.

The district administration said water levels in the Tanai and Spin streams rose to dangerous levels following the downpour. Residents said the floodwaters also damaged agricultural land in several villages, washing away fertile topsoil and affecting standing crops.

Published in Dawn, July 24th, 2026