Buner, Pakistan — Pakistan issued a flood alert Wednesday for some southern districts, warning of torrential rains, as rescue teams continued searching for missing people in the country's northwest, where severe floods killed hundreds over the past week.

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

His Majesty King Charles III of the United Kingdom has issued a heartfelt message, expressing sorrow over the recent devastating monsoon flooding in Pakistan.

Pakistan declared a public holiday in Karachi as the financial capital braced for more rain on Wednesday, after the arrival of the annual monsoon season left at least seven people dead and caused widespread flooding,

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.

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.