All government and private schools in the cold, mountainous regions of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) have been closed for a week after cloudbursts, heavy rains, and flash floods caused significant loss of life and property across the province, with 341 people killed so far, officials said on Monday.
Education Minister Faisal Khan Tarakai confirmed the closure while sharing the official notification on X. “Educational institutions in the cold mountainous areas will remain closed from August 19 to 25, therefore all educational activities will continue at home or online,” he added.
Authorities clarified that summer vacations in these high-altitude regions normally last only one month, from July 1 to 31. Meanwhile, schools in the plains and low-lying areas of the province are currently observing summer vacations until August 31.
The closure comes as part of preventive measures to ensure the safety of students amid forecasts of severe weather and potential flash floods in the region.
It is pertinent to mention that a powerful cloudburst, accompanied by flash floods and lightning, struck remote mountainous villages in Swabi district on Monday, killing at least 25 people and injuring 35 others, officials said.
The worst-affected areas include Dalori Bala and Sarkoi Payan in the Gadoon Amazai region, where dozens of homes collapsed under the force of floodwaters. Many residents were trapped beneath debris.
Swabi Deputy Commissioner Nasrullah Khan said, “In Dalori Bala alone, 20 people have died, including women, children, and the elderly. The total death toll in the area has reached 25. At last report, ten bodies and six injured were recovered.”
On the other hand, the National Disaster Management Authority Chairman Lieutenant General Inam Haider Malik said that at least 670 people have died and 1,000 others have been injured in recent rains, floods, and landslides across the country.
Briefing reporters alongside Information Minister Attaullah Tarar and Climate Change Minister Musadik Malik, he said two to three more monsoon spells are expected, with the current spell likely to continue until Friday. He added that the situation is expected to normalise by the end of September.
News Published in Express Tribune on August 18, 2025.
