Heaviest rains in 30 years kill over 550 in Pakistan
Islamabad, Aug 6 (EFE).- The worst monsoon rains in decades have killed more than 550 people in Pakistan, including 207 children, an official said on Saturday.
Numerous locations have experienced flooding as a result of the rainfall, with the poor southwest Balochistan region suffering the worst.
“The rains have broken a 30-year record,” National Disaster Management Authority spokesperson Sara Malik told EFE.
Malik said Pakistan received 133 percent more rain than average in the country.
She said Balochistan alone received 305 percent of access rains than the regional average.
Some 170 people died in Balochistan due to house and wall collapses in flash floods, said Malik.
The NDMA data showed nearly 10,000 houses were destroyed while more than 37,000 were partially damaged.
It said the floods took the lives of 24,889 livestock.
Some 118 bridges, 42 shops, and 2,445 km of roads, including 670 km in Balochistan, were destroyed.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif appealed to all the political parties to “rise above politics” in helping the victims.
During a visit to the affected areas, the prime minister vowed to actively carry out relief and rehabilitation work for all those affected by the floods.
Sharif has also established a relief fund for the affected.
In a statement issued Saturday, the prime minister appealed to the people, especially the philanthropists, to generously help the people affected families.
The federal government has declared an emergency in the rain and flood-affected areas to expedite the relief and rehabilitation process.
Army and Frontier Corps troops are continuing flood relief activities in various flood-hit areas of the country along with civil administration.
Pakistan Meteorological Department said monsoon activity would continue in the coming days while more rains are expected from Aug.10-13.
Pakistan is amongst the 10-most affected countries by climate change in the world.
The South Asian nation also witnessed an intense heat wave earlier this year causing losses of human lives and properties of thousands of people. EFE
aa-ssk
