ISLAMABAD, July 2 (Xinhua) -- Latest information showed that floods in
southwestern Pakistani province of Baluchistan have left 111 killed and some 150
others missing, officials said Monday.
Heavy rains lashed several parts of Baluchistan in the wake of a tropical
cyclone which hit southern Pakistan's coastal areas on June 25-26, causing
severe damages to civic infrastructure in the province.
Local TV channel screen shows that floods have inundated houses and
disrupted roads and bridges, and many areas were covered by yellow water.
Around 100,000 people were displaced while one million people in some 12
districts of Baluchistan were affected by the calamity, said Farooq Ahmed Khan,
Chairman of National Disaster Management Authority.
The cyclone "Yemyn" that moved from southern Pakistani port city of Karachi
northwest to Baluchistan on June 26, not only hit the coast belt but also
affected the interiors of the province, the official said.
Pakistan armed forces started large-scale rescue and relief operation since
five days ago, dispatching over a dozen of helicopters and several C-130
aircraft to worst-hit areas to rescue affectees and delivering relief goods like
food, tents and blankets.
So far, 15,000 tents and 30,000 blankets have been issued to the needy and
arrangements are being made to improve the stock of these items to meet the
future requirement, according to relief officials.
However, the relief operation had at one time been hindered by bad weather
and continuous torrential rains, with emergency supply unable to reach affectees
in some areas timely, which even sparked riots by angry affectees.
The situation is by no ways unmanageable though it is serious, said Farooq
Ahmed Khan.
Earlier, Pakistan's federal government announced 200 million rupees(about
3.33 million U.S. dollars) as relief fund for Baluchistan.
Authorities would set up a review committee soon to asses the damages
caused by the floods, a decision made public after a visit of Prime Minister
Shaukat Aziz to the affected areas on July 1.
Aziz has also invited international community and relief organization to
offer assistance to floods-hit people in Pakistan, according to state media.
Military and relief officials said more and more affectees are being
shifted to safer places, and maximum people in the low-lying areas of
Baluchistan have been evacuated.
The current spell of floods and rains in southern Pakistan began some two
weeks ago when storm and rains on June 23 hit Karachi, the provincial capital of
Sindh.
The officially confirmed rain-related death toll in Sindh was 100, out of
which 90 casualties occurred in Karachi, while private media reports said over
220 people died in the port city since late June.
Northwestern Pakistan's Khyber tribal region also saw torrential rains last
week, resulting in dozens of deaths.
Pakistan is entering into rainy season, as the monsoon period usually
begins from late June to September every summer in the South Asian country.
Local reports said the situation might worsen in the coming couple of days
as rains are still expected in Baluchistan and Sindh provinces.