86 killed as heavy rains lash parts of Pakistan

At least 86 people were killed, 56 injured and 517,029 others were affected by heavy rains and resulting flash floods in parts of Pakistan over the last two weeks, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said Wednesday.

In a press release, the NDMA said that the torrential rains that have been lashing the country since July 15, swept away 20, 858 houses, inundated 801 villages and destroyed standing crops on 233,688 acres of land.

The country's northwest Khyber Pakhtunkwa province was the worst-hit area where the gushing waters have killed at least 43 people, injured another ten and destroyed 507 houses.

Chitral district of the province was badly affected where the heavy rains washed away bridges, roads houses and cattle in various villages.

The floods have rendered thousands of people homeless, forcing them to leave under the open skies amid the surging water levels in rivers, drainages and other water resources.

40 bridges and four roads linking the district to other parts of the province were thoroughly damaged, creating hindrance in the rescue and relief operation.

The flood water destroyed 11 irrigation channels and over 60 water supply schemes, cutting off the drinking water supply to the district.

A total of 19 people were killed, two others injured and about 178 houses were destroyed when heavy rains wrecked havoc in Pakistan administered Kashmir, the NDMA said.

At least seven people were killed, 22 injured and 268 houses destroyed when the heavy downpour hit the country's south Balochistan province, the Authority added.

In the country's east Punjab province, 12people were killed, 20 others injured, 479 houses damaged, 375 villages affected, 263, 844 people became homeless and 233,688 acres of standing crops destroyed due to heavy downpour. Up to 244 villages were inundated and 117,185 people were affected in the country's south Sindh province.

In north Gilgit Baltistan area, the heavy rains killed five people, injured two and damaged 653 houses and affected 136,000 people.

Teams from NDMA, provincial governments and Pakistani army are carrying out rescue and relief operation in the affected areas.

The army has provided 249 tents, 168.52 tons of ration, 12 tons of drinking water to the flood affectees and also evacuated 43,931 people from the rain-hit areas.

Meanwhile, 180 people stranded in the flood water were shifted by an Army helicopter from Chitral to safe places.

The NDMA has provided 4,800 shelters, 24 tons of ration, one ton of drinking water and 38 rescue boats in the flood-hit areas.

The provincial governments of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab and Sindh have provided 565, 16,800 and 8,100 tents respectively. The governments of Gilgit Baltistan and Kashmir have provided 558 and 1000 tents respectively.

Governor and Chief Minister Gilgit-Baltistan visited parts of flood affected areas on Sunday, announcing 500-U.S. dollar aid for each family.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has announced a 5-million-U.S. dollar aid package for Chitral, and visited flood relief camps in Punjab province on Friday, local media reported.

Monsoon rains hit Pakistan every year in June and the season normally ends in the first week of September. During this period, the country receives heavy rains which cause flooding in various areas.

The most destructive flood hit the country in 2010 that hit parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab and Sindh. The flood swept away 20 percent of the land, killed 1,540 people and injured 2,088. According to UN report, 557,226 houses had been destroyed, and over 6 million people had been displaced in the flood. Enditem