900 people killed as flood sweeping across Pakistan

People evacuate with their belongings as their houses were damaged following heavy monsoon rains in northwest Pakistan's Peshawar, on July 31, 2010. (Xinhua/Saeed Ahmad)
The current horrible wave of floods and landslides triggered by torrential monsoon rains has killed more than 900 people in Pakistan while 1 million people have become homeless as the flood is now hitting Western and Southern parts of the country, local media reported on Saturday.

At least 342 people have been injured, while thousands of others are still missing as non-stop horrible monsoon rains, flash floods and land sliding brought disaster in the northwestern province Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). Flood has cut off the province from the other part of the country destroying all link-roads.

"At least 800 people have died in our area, flood hit massively with a lot of destruction we are still waiting for the expected help from the other provinces and international community," said Mian Iftikhar Hussain, information of the KP.

He also appealed to the federal government and other provincial governments of the country as well as to the organizations engaged in relief activities to help extend aid to calamity-hit province.

"At least 27,000 people are still trapped in the flood water in only KP and are waiting for help, food, drinking water and medicines," he added.

The number of casualties may increase, as rescue workers feared that many people might be still under the debris of the buildings and houses collapsed with the hit of ruthless rains and flood waters.

Two main districts Nowshera and Charsadda of the province have been sunk completely in the flood water.

Communication, gas, electricity and water supplies were badly caused owing to floods and horrific rains. Telephone cables, water pipes and electricity poles were either damaged or washed away by the gushing flood water in the major part of the KP and partial in areas of Punjab, Balochistan and Sindh.

Unlucky affected people left their homes in hurry to escape for safer places when the flood hit them sleeping at night.

"We have lost every thing, households, valuables things, cattle and our good crops, we don't know where our near and dear ones are, " a flood affectee told media.

Provincial government of the Punjab has decided to lay off the agriculture tax on the areas hit by the flood and torrential rains.

Pakistan Army and civil administration have shifted hundreds of affected families in the refugees camps set up in schools and some other places in the safe areas.

According to local television channel more than 3,000 tourists, including many foreigners, have been trapped in the Naraan area, a tourist point in the North West of the country. But according to latest reports by the media 1500 tourist have been rescued to the safer places.

Government of Pakistan Friday kicked off an emergency rescue and relief operation after declaring emergency in the flood-hit parts of the country.

Pakistan's National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has requested United Nations and international community for the urgent help in the country's worst flood for last 81 years which is now hitting the Western, Southern and eastern provinces of the country,local televisions reported.

According to rescue teams, hundreds of villages, schools, hospitals, dispensaries, bridges, roads, railway tracks, houses and billions of dollars worth properties have also been smashed in the rains and high current floods.

Pakistan Navy, Air force, Pakistan Army and dozens of other civil and government rescue teams with 31 helicopters and hundreds of boats are busy in the affected areas but those seem insufficient.

More than one million people have been stranded due to floods in various parts of the country and many have been taking shelter on rooftops, trees and electricity pools.

According to the meteorological department, current recorded rains have broken the 34-year old record of torrential rains.

"The monsoon system has ended now another weather system is likely to develop within next 12 to 24 hours, which may affect eastern parts of the country," Dr. Qamar Zaman Chaudhry, Director General Pakistan Meteorology Department told media.

The rains flooded almost all the main bazaars, roads and residential areas of the every city hit by the flood.

The Silk Route, a business road linking Pakistan and China, has been damaged at seven different points due to rain resulted land sliding. Another road in the NW Pakistan leading to Afghanistan has been closed at Jamrud city due to floods.

The affected people are facing severe shortage of food, water and medicine. Especially many people have been reportedly bit by the snakes.

Three Chinese engineers along with their security personnel reportedly went missing in Kohistan area after the flood strike the area. But 120 other Chinese engineers working on a Jinnah hydroelectric project near Mianwali city were rescued and airlifted to the safe place, local media quoted Pakistan Army rescue teams.

Source: Xinhua

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