The death toll from monsoon flooding in Pakistan since June has reached 1,033, according to figures released Sunday by the country’s National Disaster Management Authority. It said 119 people had died in the previous 24 hours, as heavy rains that have affected more than 33 million people continued to lash parts of the country.
Pakistan is appealing for further international assistance as floods devastate the country, leaving people searching for higher, drier ground. The US, UK, UAE and others have contributed to a disaster appeal, but more funds are needed, officials say. Pakistan’s government is doing everything it can to help, they add.
Interior ministry official Salman Sufi said the country was desperate for international support. “Pakistan has been grappling with economic issues, but now just when we were about to overcome them the monsoon disaster hit,” he said. In the north-west of the country, thousands of people fled their homes after rivers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province burst their banks, causing powerful flash floods.
“The house which we built with years of hard work started sinking in front of our eyes,” Junaid Khan, 23, told the AFP news agency. “We sat on the side of the road and watched our dream house sinking.” The province of Sindh in the south-east of the country has also been badly affected, with thousands displaced from their homes.
