Heavy monsoon rains and flash floods have killed at least 739 people across Pakistan since late June, displacing thousands and destroying homes and crops, with more severe weather expected in the weeks ahead,

Heavier than usual rains and sudden cloudbursts during this monsoon season kill more than 300 people in recent days.

Pakistani authorities are defending their response to flash floods that killed more than 200 people in a single northwestern district this week.

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.

Monsoon floods in Pakistan kill nearly 400, devastate villages, cut roads and power, as authorities warn of more rain and looming urban flooding in Karachi.