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

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

Officials say rescuers have recovered dozens more bodies from the rubble of collapsed homes in a northwestern district of Pakistan, bringing the death toll to at least 274, as authorities defended their response to the flooding and said they did not need any foreign help at this point.

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

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.

Pakistan has received higher-than-normal monsoon rainfall this year, triggering floods and mudslides that have killed more than 540 people since June 26.

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.

Flash floods in Pakistan have killed over 300 people, officials said Tuesday. Last week’s flooding in Buner was among the deadliest since the rains began late last month