The Pakistan government has declared devastating floods a “national emergency” after nearly 1,000 people died and more than 30 million are without shelter as monsoon rains continue to lash the country.
More than half of the casualties are from Balochistan and southern Sindh province where 234 and 306 people died respectively amid record rains that have affected half a million houses across the country.
At least 937 people have died since mid-June, including 343 children, according to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). Swirling floods inundated more districts and towns, killing another 34 people over the past 24 hours, officials and local media reported.
More than 100 districts across four provinces have been hit by the floods, with Balochistan’s capital Quetta isolated from the rest of the country as many highways and bridges have been swept away by the deluge.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has asked for international help in battling deadly flood damage in the South Asian nation as rescuers struggled to evacuate thousands of marooned people from flood-hit areas and dozens more died.
“The ongoing rain spell has caused devastation across the country,” PM Sharif tweeted, thanking other countries and groups for their support. “Together we will build back better.”
Sharif met with foreign diplomats and representatives of international aid agencies to brief them about the damages. A government statement quoted Sharif as saying 300 children were among the dead.
Sharif said the scope of the devastations caused by rains and floods this time was worse than in 2010 when floods killed 1,700 people. He blamed the “horrors of climate change” for the tragedy.
