Flooding kills nearly 1,000 in Pakistan

Islamabad, Aug 25 (EFE).- Flooding caused by “monster” monsoon rains have killed at least 937 people in Pakistan since the middle of June, officials said Thursday.

“Around 30 million people have been rendered homeless” Federal Minister for Climate Change Sherry Rehman told a press conference. “This is a national emergency and we will have to treat it as such.”

Rainfall so far this year in southern Pakistan is 784 percent above normal levels, she said.

“A needs assessment is underway and will be completed soon, which will help in approaching donor agencies for relief and rescue as the crisis has surpassed the capacity of the government,” the minister said, describing a lack of “time or space for anything other than rescue and relief operations.”

She warned of more rain to come.

“There is forecast of one more spell of rains in mid-September and the government is bracing for it,” Rehman said.

The flooding death toll from the last 24 hours stands at 34 and half of the fatalities were children, according to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).

The United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund has made $3 million available to Pakistan to cope with the crisis, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Martin Griffiths said Thursday on Twitter.

“This fund will help our agencies & partners provide assistance to 90,000 most affected people,” he wrote.

The State Bank of Pakistan announced the establishment of a Prime Minister Flood Relief Fund, while the military said that troops have evacuated more than 40,000 people to safe locations and provided flood victims with tents, food rations and other supplies from its own stocks. EFE aa/dr