A changing climate has made residents of northern Pakistan's river-carved mountainous areas more vulnerable to sudden, heavy rains.View on euronews

Anguished Pakistanis are searching remote areas for bodies swept away by weekend flash floods as the death toll has reached 277.

Rescue workers on Tuesday recovered more bodies from a mountain village in northwest Pakistan where flash floods triggered by a cloudburst brought down homes and buildings, bringing the death toll there to at least 20,

Across Pakistan, monsoon rains that began in late June have been heavier than usual, killing at least 645 people. Four hundred of those deaths were in the northwest alone, where narrow valleys and river-carved gorges funnel rainwater into sudden torrents.

Officials say rescuers have recovered dozens more bodies from collapsed homes in a northwestern district of Pakistan, bringing the death toll to at least 274, as authorities defended their response to the flooding.

Pope Leo XIV offered prayers and expressed his closeness for the victims of severe flooding that hit Pakistan, India and Nepal. The Pope shared his prayers “for the victims and their families, and for all those who are suffering as a result of this calamity,” Vatican News reported on Aug. 18.

Pakistani officials say they are expanding rescue and relief operations after flash floods killed more than 220 people in a single northwest district and destroyed homes, roads, and businesses.