Islamabad
Pakistan's armed forces have rescued 2,000 more people stranded by rising floodwaters, they said on Friday. A total of 50,000 people have been evacuated since rescue efforts began, it added. The South Asian nation is battling a crisis blamed largely on climate change. The floods have swamped about a third of the country and doesn't seem to provide respite any time soon.
"During the last 24 hours, 1,991 stranded individuals have been evacuated," the armed forces said in a statement, adding that nearly 163 tonnes of relief supplies had also been delivered to the flood-affected.
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Record monsoon rains and melting glaciers in northern mountains brought floods that have killed at least 1,208 people, including 416 children, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has said.
Calling it an "unprecedented climate catastrophe", the United Nations has appealed for $160 million in aid to help tackle the situation.
In the Dadu district of Sindh, several villages are under as much as 11 feet (3.35 m) of water, Bashir Khan, a local resident who is in contact with people remaining in the area, told Reuters.
âMy house is under water, I had left my place four days ago with my family," he said.
In neighbouring Mehar, residents were constructing a dike in an attempt to prevent floodwaters from entering the town, he said.
The navy airlifted more than 150 people from villages in Dadu on Thursday, it said in a statement.
Several humanitarian relief flights are set to arrive on Friday from Middle Eastern nations such as Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan's foreign office said.
To make matters worse, weather officials have predicted more rains and flash flooding in September. The southern regions are bracing for a surge of water from the Indus river.
Over 33 million people have been affected by the floods in Pakistan. UNICEF says 16 million children are impacted and 3.4 million are in need of humanitarian support.
According to the European Space Agency, Pakistan has received 10 times heavier than usual rainfall, leading to the devastating floods. It also released satellite images of a vast lake created by the overflowing Indus river. Pakistan received nearly 190% more rain than its 30-year average in the quarter from June to August, totalling 390.7mm (15.38 inches).
(With inputs from agencies)