Hundreds feared dead in Pakistani floods
At least 153 people have died after heavy monsoon rains caused flash floods in southern Pakistan, with some relief workers fearing the death toll may be twice as high.
Bodies are being recovered as the flood waters recede in areas of Sindh province, officials and relief workers said Sunday.
“The death toll is now 153 as 46 bodies have been recovered from the worst hit Badin district alone since heavy rains started some two weeks ago,” said Sindh government spokesman Salahuddin Haider.
He said relief work was in full swing, with army and paramilitary forces helping the civil administration to provide food and medicines to flood victims.
Haider said about 200 relief camps had been set up in Badin as well as the Thatta, Shikarpur, Larkana and Tharparkar districts of Sindh province.
Snakes and disease add to suffering
A relief worker with the private Edhi Trust, Rizwan Edhi, said he feared the death toll was much higher than the figures now available as many people remained cut off by the torrential rains.
He estimated the final toll could be about 300.
Mobile Edhi clinics were providing medicine to hundreds of people suffering from different diseases including eye infections and malaria, he said.
“There have been incidents of snake-bites both in Badin and Tharparkar districts and we have dispatched hundreds of anti-venom vaccines to affected places,” Edhi said.
The meteorological department, which has said the current monsoon weather is the worst since 1994, predicted more rains over the next few days.