Rescuers and villagers searched for survivors on Tuesday (Aug 19) as the death toll from days of torrential rains and flash floods in northern Pakistan climbed to nearly 400.

A Pakistani official says the death toll from flash floods in the country's northwest has risen to at least 274 after rescuers recovered dozens of bodies from the rubble of collapsed houses.

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.