Islamabad [Pakistan], August 17: The death toll from the devastating floods in Pakistan crossed 300 on Saturday, as rescuers pulled bodies from the rubble in the north-west of the country, where a day of mourning is being observed.
"The number of dead has now reached 307," Anwar Shahzad, a spokesman for the provincial disaster management authority, told DPA.
On Friday, more than 180 people including five crew of a rescue helicopter that crashed in the middle of operation, were killed due to flash floods and landslides triggered by heavy rains and cloud burst. At least 18 people were killed in Pakistani-administered Kashmir and the northern region of Gilgit-Baltistan near the country's borders with India and China.
The provincial government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is observing a day of mourning while rescuers were still searching for dozens of missing people.
Shahzad said that the rescue workers had pulled 93 bodies from rubble overnight and it was feared that the number would increase further.
At least 21 people were wounded.
A senior government official said that the exact number of people affected and the extent of damage to properties and infrastructure was not yet known.
First responders were focusing recovery efforts in the villages of Pir Baba and Malik Pura, which suffered the highest casualties on Friday, according to Bunar deputy commissioner Kashif Qayyum.
"We do not know from where the floodwater came, but it came so fast that many could not leave their homes," said Mohammad Khan, 53, a Pir Baba resident.
Dr Mohammad Tariq at a Buner government hospital reported that most victims died before reaching medical care. "Many among the dead were children and men, while women were away in the hills collecting firewood and grazing cattle," he said. At least 634 people died and more then 768 people have been wounded due to incidents related to monsoon rains that started on June 26, according to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). Pakistan, a country with a massive population of more than 240 million, is one of the most vulnerable nations to the impact of the climate change, according to the United Nations.
Each year, hundreds of people lose their lives to climate-induced disasters in the country, with thousands more losing their homes and livelihoods.
Source: Qatar Tribune
