Pakistan has issued a glacial flood alert for its northwest region as heavy rains are expected to continue in the coming week, officials said Saturday.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province is experiencing heavier downpours than the same period last year, prompting warnings of flooding from glacial lake outbursts, according to Anwar Shahzad, spokesperson for the local disaster management authority.

A letter issued mid-July warned that persistent high temperatures could accelerate snow and glacier melting, increasing the risk of severe weather events in vulnerable areas.

Dr. Abdul Samad of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Tourism Department said rescue teams evacuated more than 500 tourists from Naran following a cloudburst Friday night that blocked the main road. Authorities deployed heavy machinery to clear debris and reopen access.

In Gilgit-Baltistan, the government distributed hundreds of tents, thousands of food packets, and medicine to flood-affected communities.

Death toll rises to 16 in Pakistan building collapse

Spokesperson Faizullah Firaq described the situation as “severe destruction” in several areas, with damage to homes, infrastructure, crops, and businesses.

Search operations are ongoing for missing persons along the Babusar Highway, where floods affected nine villages. Helicopters rescued tourists stranded at the popular Fairy Meadows site.

Pakistan has received above-average rainfall during this monsoon season, raising fears of a repeat of the devastating 2022 floods that submerged one-third of the country and killed 1,737 people.

So far, around 260 deaths have been reported this season, which is expected to last until mid-September.

Despite being among the countries most vulnerable to climate change, Pakistan is one of the lowest greenhouse gas emitters globally.