DALORI BALA, Pakistan - Residents in a hilltop village in north-west Pakistan described how raging waters and rocks had swept through their homes after a cloudburst, as authorities said on Aug 19 the toll from floods in the region over the past five days had risen to 365.

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.

With villages swept away and Pakistan’s largest city assailed by monsoon floods, climate change has brought a catastrophic new normal to the country.

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.