Nearly 400 people have died in floods and landslides triggered by torrential monsoon rains in different parts of Pakistan, with most of the deaths reported in the country’s northwest that has seen the worst flooding in eight decades.

The Edhi Foundation, an NGO that operates rescue services across Pakistan, said 291 people had died in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province in the past three days. 49 people were killed in a landslide in Olandar village in the province.

20 people were killed in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and 34 deaths were reported in Punjab.

Hundreds of people were injured while dozens more were reported missing following flash floods that inundated wide tracts in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, PoK, Sindh and Balochistan.

The floods also washed away hundreds of houses as well as bridges and roads.

Khyber-Pakthunkhwa has seen the worst floods since 1929, said National Disaster Management Authority chief Nadeem Ahmed.

At that time, the level recorded in the Swat River was 170,000 cusecs whereas the level Friday was 250,000 cusecs, he said.

Peshawar, Swat, Charsadda and Nowshera were among the worst affected areas in the northwest, Ahmed said.

Provincial Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain has said that 400,000 people have been displaced so far. In PoK, the Zalzal lake burst its banks and floods in the Jhelum river inundated low lying areas.

The Indus River was above the danger mark near Chashma and flooding was also reported in the Chenab River.

Weather officials said Peshawar received 302mm or 12 inches of rain in the past three days while the rest of the province received between 250mm and 300mm of rains.

Islamabad and Rawalpindi received about 190mm during the same period. Footage on television showed waterlogged roads and collapsed buildings in many cities and towns across the northwest.

Torrents of water coursed through the streets as people fled their flooded homes, clutching their belongings in their hands. The young carried the old on their backs as they made their way through knee-deep water.

There were also reports of people sheltering on rooftops and minarets of mosques. Military helicopters winched men, women and children to safety from the tops of buildings.