In northwestern Pakistan, at least 321 people have died in the past 48 hours, with more than 10 villages in Buner region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province devastated by flash floods, local authorities said on August 16.
According to Bilal Faizi, a spokesman for the emergency response agency Rescue 122, the washed-off roads and landslides hindered rescue efforts in Buner areas. Dozens of others are believed to be buried under the rubble.
"So far, more than 120 bodies have been found in this area alone," said Faizi.
In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province alone, five crew members died after a helicopter crashed during rescue.
In the Kashmir region managed by India, at least 60 people died and more than 200 people were missing on August 15 in the town of Chashoti, a popular pilgrimage destination for Hindu tourists.
At least 41 people have died in Nepal, and 121 others were injured, according to the country's disaster management agency.
When the heavy rain became more intense, I felt like an earthquake was happening, the whole ground was shaking. During the pouring rain, my whole family ran outside and saw a stream of mud and large rocks flowing rapidly through the stream near our house. It felt like the end of the world had come, with the scenes exactly like the end of the world," said Farhad Ali, a student living in Salarzai, northern Pakistan, which was heavily affected by the natural disaster.
Heavy rain, landslides and flooding have swept through South Asia in recent weeks after the particularly severe rainy season began in early June.
According to the latest weather forecast on August 16 from the Pakistan Meteorological Agency, rain across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is expected to intensify from August 17. The agency also warned against flash floods and urban flooding.
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also chaired an emergency meeting on heavy rains and post-disaster rescue efforts in the capital Islamabad on August 15.
On August 13, weather experts from the Indian Hydrometeorological Department said that this rain will be localized heavy rain - meaning unexpected heavy rain with rainfall of more than 100mm in just one hour.
Analysts warn that the human-caused climate crisis has exacerbated the intensity and frequency of seasonal flooding in the Himalaya this year.
Earlier this month, another flood swept through a mountainous village in the Himalaya states of Uttarakhand, northern India, killing at least four people.
