One-third of Pakistan has been completely submerged by historic flooding, its climate minister says. Devastating flash floods have washed away roads, homes, and crops – leaving a trail of deadly havoc across Pakistan.
“It’s all one big ocean, there’s no dry land to pump the water out,” Sherry Rehman told AFP, adding it had created a “crisis of unimaginable proportions.” At least 1,136 people have died since the monsoon season began in June, according to officials.
The summer rain is the heaviest recorded in a decade and is blamed by the government on climate change. Of those who are known to have died, 75 were in the past 24 hours alone, officials said on Monday, adding that the death toll is expected to rise.
Speaking to the BBC, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said one-third of those killed are believed to be children. “We’re still coming to grips with the extent of the damage,” he added. Officials estimate that more than 33-million Pakistanis – one in seven people – have been affected by the historic flooding.
Heavy waters in the country’s northern Swat Valley have swept away bridges and roads, cutting off entire villages. Thousands of people living in the mountainous area have been ordered to evacuate – but even with the help of helicopters, authorities are still struggling to reach those who are trapped.
“Living here is miserable. Our self-respect is at stake,” flood victim Fazal Malik told AFP from a school that was being used to home some 2,500 evacuees in the north-western Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Provinces like Sindh and Balochistan are the worst affected but mountainous regions in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have also been badly hit.
Devastating flash floods have washed away roads, homes and crops – leaving a trail of deadly havoc across Pakistan. “It’s all one big ocean, there’s no dry land to pump the water out,” Sherry Rehman told AFP, adding it had created a “crisis of unimaginable proportions.”
At least 1,136 people have died since the monsoon season began in June, according to officials. The summer rain is the heaviest recorded in a decade and is blamed by the government on climate change. Of those who are known to have died, 75 were in the past 24 hours alone, officials said on Monday, adding that the death toll is expected to rise. (BBC)
