- PUNJAB, INDIA — AUG. 27, 2025 — RESTRICTION: USERS MUST CREDIT "INDIAN ARMY" HANDOUT — VIA US SOCIAL MEDIA COMPANY X — EDITORIAL USE ONLY — Residents narrowly escaped a partial building collapse during flooding at Madhopur Headworks barrage in Punjab on Wednesday, Aug. 27, after being airlifted to safety by an Indian Army helicopter.

The building was already on the verge of collapsing, the army said, adding that the rescue was a timely intervention.

India and Pakistan have been battered by relentless monsoon rains and flooding in recent weeks, with nearly 500 people killed in Pakistan since Aug. 14, mostly over 400 in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, while more than 800 have lost their lives across Pakistan since June 26.

According to officials, thousands of residents also remained stranded for the last several days in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan after torrential rains and floods washed away several roads in the Ghizer district.

Pakistan deployed the army to northeastern Punjab province to assist with rescue and relief operations as the province faces a flood emergency caused by heavy rains and India's release of water from overflowing dams.

Surging waters swept away at least seven people in Sambrial town of northeastern Sialkot district, where massive rains broke a 49-year record, a spokesperson for the provincial rescue department said in a statement.

New Delhi has warned Islamabad of expected high inflows in the Sutlej, Ravi, and Chenab rivers.

The army was deployed at the request of the Punjab government to assist the civil administration in evacuating residents from districts facing severe floods.