Islamabad, Aug 27 (UNI): Devastating flash floods which have crippled Pakistan have pushed up the death toll to over 980 and caused a trail of destruction, forcing the government to seek international help, including from the Indian-American community.
The disaster has also left 1,450 people injured, killed 802,583 livestock and sent nearly half a million into hurriedly opened relief camps. Authorities said a massive relief and rescue operation was under way.
The situation remained worsen as rivers Indus and Swat continued to swell, with officials fearing that the death toll would inch towards 1,000. The provincial governments and Pakistan’s meteorological body warned that Swat and Indus could swell further, leading to more flash floods.
The Pakistan meteorological body warned that many areas could witness severe floods over the weekend as the rivers could attain “high to very high flood levels”.
At least six more dams and reservoirs were breached in several districts of Balochistan following torrential rains, officials said on Saturday. The incidents caused widespread devastation and claimed several lives, Pakistani media reports said.
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provincial government has declared a rain emergency in several districts until August 30. Officials warned that the Swat may witness high to very high floods, the Dawn reported.
At least 24 bridges and 50 hotels were washed away in the floods in the Swat region. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has recorded 251 deaths due to the floods since June. The Shehbaz Sharif government has deployed the army in all affected provinces.
