A Pakistani woman sits at the bank of the swollen Nelum
river flooded by monsoon rains in Muzaffarabad, the capital
of Pakistani Kashmir. Photo by AP.
Boats and helicopters struggled to reach hundreds of
thousands of villagers cut off by floods in northwest Pakistan
as the government said 430 people had been killed in the
deadliest such disaster to hit the region since 1929.
The flooding capped an already deadly week in Pakistan, which
is no stranger to calamities, natural or otherwise.
A passenger jet flying in bad weather slammed into hills
overlooking the capital, Islamabad a few days ago, killing
all 152 people on board.
Three days of heavy monsoonal rains across the northwest
caused scores of rivers to burst their banks, tearing down 60
bridges and scores of roads and buildings.
Hundreds of villages and towns, along with massive swaths of
agricultural land, were under several feet of water.
Associated Press Television News footage showed a powerful
torrent running through the centre of Mingora town in the
Swat Valley, carrying debris and trees with it.
Hundreds of residents trudged through flooded streets as
rescue officials used loudspeakers to urge them to evacuate
homes in low-lying areas.
An AP reporter travelled in an army helicopter dropping tents
and food supplies to stricken communities in the northwest.
He flew over about 150 villages that were inundated close to
the border with South Waziristan. The three major roads in
the region were all blocked.
"This is a natural calamity, and we will do whatever is
possible to reach the flood-affected people and to help
them," said Mian Iftikhar Hussain, the information minister
for Khyber-Pakhtoonkhwa province.
"We appeal to the world community to help us. We need a lot
of assistance."
The United Nations said it and other international bodies
were looking at ways to help the region, parts of which have
also seen operations by Pakistan's military against Islamist
militants over the last two years. Hundreds of people have
been killed in bombings and other attacks by the insurgents.
Nadeem Ahmed, who heads the country's National Disaster
Management Authority, said 21 army helicopters and 150 boats
were being used to reach affected communities and move them
away from the floods. Hussain estimated 400,000 people were
still stranded.
More rains were expected in coming days, according to
Pakistan's meteorological department.
Hussain said at least 408 people had been killed, making it
the deadliest flooding in the region since 1929. In
Pakistani-controlled Kashmir further to the west, at least 22
people were confirmed dead, the area's prime minister, Sardar
Attique Khan, told reporters.
The highway connecting Peshawar - the largest city in the
northwest - to the federal capital, Islamabad, was impassable
for a second consecutive day.
Pakistan's poorest residents are often the ones living in
flood-prone areas because they can't afford safer land.
Southwest Baluchistan province has also been hit hard by
recent rains. Last week, flash floods in that region killed
at least 41 people.
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