UN warns of more child deaths in Pakistan floods
Islamabad, Sep 16 (EFE).- The United Nations warned on Friday that “super floods” in Pakistan have affected an estimated 16 million children and that many more may die if adequate aid is not delivered.
Some 536 children lost their lives in the unprecedented floods and rains, official data released late Thursday showed.
The United Nations Children’s Fund said at least 3.4 million girls and boys needed immediate lifesaving support.
Following his visit to Sindh province, Abdullah Fadil, Unicef’s country representative in Pakistan, said children lived out in the open with their families without drinking water and food.
He warned that the children faced a wide range of new flood-related risks and hazards, including damaged buildings, drowning in flood waters, and snakes.
“The sad reality is that without a massive increase in support, many more children will lose their lives,” said Fadil.
Some malnourished children are battling diarrhea, malaria, dengue fever, and many with painful skin conditions.
Fadil said relief and rescue could not reach many affected areas that remained cut off due to floodwater.
According to National Disaster Management Authority data released late Thursday, a total of 1,508 people died in the floods since mid-June.
They include 22 in the past 24 hours.
After wreaking havoc in the upstream north, the water level of the floods has started receding in the downstream Sindh province.
Sindh has been the worst-affected province, with 646 deaths.
Monsoon rains, which broke the 30-year record, and melting glaciers in northern mountains were the causes of unprecedented floods that inflicted an estimated $30 billion in damages. EFE
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