Results 1 to 2 of 2

Thread: Toll from rains, avalanches in Pakistan hits 640

  1. #1
    PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AFP) - The death toll from two weeks of torrential rains and snow in Pakistan jumped to at least 640, officials said, while affected areas called for more aid.


    Authorities in blizzard-hit northwestern areas reported 100 more deaths in the last 24 hours as bodies were pulled out from snowdrifts and collapsed houses, bringing the total there to 393.

    At least 180 people have died in the southwestern province of Baluchistan after heavy flooding and a number of devastating dam bursts which washed away entire villages, provincial relief officials said.

    A further 67 have died in avalanches in Pakistan's zone of the divided Himalayan territory of Kashmir (news - web sites), according to officials.

    Pakistan's army, navy and air force have conducted major relief operations at both ends of the country since the rain and snow began on February 3, while civilian aid agencies have also helped.

    Officials have warned both of possible disease outbreaks and of food shortages in the worst-hit areas, while tens of thousands of people have been left homeless.

    "We have requested non-governmental organizations to join government relief efforts," said North West Frontier Province deputy relief commissioner Ghulam Gilani as he revealed the latest figures in his area.

    The World Health Organisation is leading aid efforts in the province with other UN and international agencies. An assessment of the damage caused by the snow and rain is in progress, a UN official told AFP in Islamabad.

    He added that 1,200 blankets were dispatched to scenic Swat valley and a truck containing food, blankets and tents left for the hill resort of Abbottabad.

    In Baluchistan 100 people were now known to have died when the 25-metre-high (83-foot) Shadi Kor Dam near the coastal town of Pasni ruptured, said Raziq Bugti, media consultant to the provincial chief minister.

    Another 80 people have been killed in widespread flooding across the normally arid province, Bugti said.

    Meanwhile the death of a young boy when the roof of his home collapsed on Thursday brought the toll in Pakistani-held Kashmir to 67, with 132 injured, senior police officer Raja Ghulam Sarwar told AFP.

    He said 850 people have been displaced as bad weather destroyed 359 houses in the mountainous region, while 957 were partially damaged.

    Britain, France, China and Afghanistan where 267 people have died from cold conditions brought on by the same weather front -- have all offered their condolences to Pakistan in recent days over the spiralling death toll.
    Dream, I do.

  2. #2
    weather's changing around the world after tsumani

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •