Rescue teams in north-western Pakistan are scrambling to locate survivors after flash floods and landslides battered the region over the weekend. As of August 17th, officials report that at least 150 people remain unaccounted for.

The death toll has climbed to 344, with the bulk of fatalities concentrated in the rugged province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which borders Afghanistan. Authorities expect that number to rise further, fearing many of the missing may be buried beneath mud and rubble.

The destruction follows two days of relentless monsoon rains, which have continued to hamper recovery efforts. Some 2,000 rescue workers are deployed across the region, often wading through waist-high water and navigating treacherous terrain in search of the dead and the living.

Government meteorologists warn that the downpours are far from over. Torrential rain is forecast to persist until at least August 21st, compounding the misery of affected communities. Several districts have been formally designated disaster zones, as local infrastructure buckles under the strain.

Pakistan, prone to monsoon-related disasters, finds itself once again confronting the lethal consequences of extreme weather—and the limited capacity of the state to respond.