MUZAFFARABAD - At least 16 people have been killed and seven injured during more than two months of monsoon rains across Azad Jammu and Kashmir, as repeated spells of severe weather damaged homes, infrastructure and livelihoods across the mountainous region.

Figures from disaster management authorities show that 258 houses have been partially or completely damaged during the 2026 monsoon season, while at least 22 livestock have been lost.

The official breakdown shows damage across several districts. Bagh recorded 100 damaged homes, while Muzaffarabad and Poonch each recorded 37. Neelum Valley reported 23 damaged houses, with further losses recorded in Jhelum Valley, Sudhnoti, Bhimber, Mirpur and Kotli.

Lives Lost Across the Region

The human toll has also been spread across multiple districts.

Five deaths were recorded in Muzaffarabad and another five in Neelum Valley, while three people died in Kotli. Deaths were also reported in Bagh, Jhelum Valley and Sudhnoti.

Seven people were injured during the monsoon period, including four in Muzaffarabad, two in Sudhnoti and one in Bagh.

Authorities have also reported damage to roads, bridges and other public and private property during periods of intense rainfall, adding to the disruption faced by communities in difficult-to-access mountainous areas.

Mountain Communities Face Multiple Hazards

Azad Kashmir's steep terrain leaves communities particularly exposed when intense rainfall triggers flash flooding, landslides and sudden rises in rivers and streams.

The National Disaster Management Authority warned earlier in September that heavy rainfall could cause flooding and landslides in vulnerable areas of Azad Kashmir, including Muzaffarabad, Bagh, Poonch, Haveli, Bhimber, Sudhnoti, Mirpur and Kotli.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department had also forecast heavy rainfall across Kashmir between September 3 and 6 as monsoon currents combined with a westerly weather system over the country's upper regions.

The losses recorded this monsoon highlight how repeated rainfall events can become a cumulative disaster. Beyond the immediate deaths and injuries, damage to homes, roads and livestock can leave mountain communities facing prolonged disruption long after the rain has stopped.

For vulnerable settlements across Azad Kashmir, resilience increasingly depends not only on emergency response, but on safer infrastructure, effective early-warning systems and reducing exposure to floods and landslides before the next extreme rainfall event arrives.