Casualties From Pakistan Floods Reaches 1,000

As the death toll from this year’s monsoon reached 1,000, Pakistan’s flood-prone Sindh province in the south braced for a new downpour from swelling rivers in the north on Sunday.Numerous mountain tributaries to the north feed the huge Indus River, which flows through Pakistan’s second-most populous province. However, many of these rivers have broken their […]

As the death toll from this year’s monsoon reached 1,000, Pakistan’s flood-prone Sindh province in the south braced for a new downpour from swelling rivers in the north on Sunday.
Numerous mountain tributaries to the north feed the huge Indus River, which flows through Pakistan’s second-most populous province. However, many of these rivers have broken their banks as a result of record rains and glacier melt.

Authorities have issued warnings that torrents of water are anticipated to reach Sindh in the coming days, adding to the suffering of millions already impacted by the floods.

Aziz Soomro, the manager of a barrage that controls the river’s flow close to Sukkur, declared that the Indus was presently in a state of high flood.

“Right now, Indus is in high flood,” said Aziz Soomro, the supervisor of a barrage that regulates the river’s flow near Sukkur.

The annual monsoon is necessary for irrigating crops and replenishing lakes and dams throughout the Indian subcontinent, but it also causes havoc.

More than 33 million people, or one in seven Pakistanis, were reportedly affected by this year’s monsoon flooding, which destroyed or severely damaged roughly a million homes, according to officials.

The nation’s National Disaster Management Authority reported on Sunday that 1,033 people had died as a result of the monsoon rains, with 119 of the deaths occurring on the previous day.

It said that this year’s floods are equivalent to those of 2010, which were the worst on record and resulted in over 2,000 fatalities and submerged over a fifth of the nation.

In Pakistan’s north, authorities ordered thousands of residents who lived near flood-swollen rivers to leave dangerous areas, but army helicopters and rescue workers are still bringing stragglers to safety.

According to rescuer Umar Rafiq, residents were told to leave their homes about three or four in the morning.

“When the flood water hit the area we had to rescue children and women.”

A 150-room hotel that collapsed into a rushing torrent was one of many buildings destroyed by rivers in the area, which is known for its scenic tourist destinations of steep mountains and valleys.

Owner of a guest house Nasir Khan claimed to have lost everything after the 2010 flooding severely damaged his business.

“It has washed away the remaining part of the hotel,” he told AFP.