Torrential monsoon rains have unleashed flash floods and landslides across Pakistan’s north-western Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, killing at least 344 people over the past two days, according to the country’s disaster agency. The downpours, described by meteorologists as the most intense of this year’s monsoon, struck late Thursday and Friday, sweeping away homes, markets and roads in remote mountain districts. Buner district has recorded the heaviest losses, with local officials reporting 184 fatalities after a pre-dawn cloudburst sent walls of water and rocks crashing through villages. The Provincial Disaster Management Authority said more than 300 people remain missing or injured, while rescue workers continue to dig through debris in Pir Baba, Malik Pura and neighbouring valleys. Thousands have been moved to temporary shelters as bridges and key highways remain cut. Civilian and military teams have deployed helicopters, boats and heavy machinery, but operations were hampered when a rescue helicopter crashed in poor weather, killing all five crew members. Prime Minister Ishaq Dar convened an emergency meeting and ordered additional medical camps, food supplies and engineering units to restore access. The Pakistan Meteorological Department warns that another spell of intense rain is likely from Sunday, raising the risk of further flooding. The same weather system has battered the western Himalayas. In Indian-administered Kashmir, flash floods in Kishtwar and surrounding areas killed around 60 people and left more than 200 missing. Regional authorities on both sides of the border say the frequency and ferocity of such events are rising, a trend scientists link to a warming climate and unplanned construction in vulnerable river corridors.