Pakistan: Heavy rain alert issued in Punjab province as nationwide death toll reaches 1006

Islamabad, Oct 2 (IANS) The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) of Pakistan's Punjab province on Thursday issued a rain alert for several districts, warning that heavy rainfall could trigger flooding in streams and nullahs, local media reported.

According to a PDMA spokesperson, westerly winds entering northern parts of Punjab are expected to bring widespread rainfall across the province from Thursday night until October 7.

As per the latest figures released by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), at least 1,006 people, including 275 children, 568 men, and 163 women, have been killed in Pakistan since late June, as relentless rains and flash floods continue to wreak havoc across the country.

Additionally, a total of 1,063 people were injured in flood-triggered incidents, affecting 321 children, 450 men, and 292 women.

The NDMA recorded 304 deaths in Punjab province, comprising 110 children, 143 men, and 51 women, with flash floods causing widespread devastation.

In Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP), the death toll climbed to 504, including 90 children, 338 men, and 76 women.

Sindh has reported 80 fatalities, comprising 35 children, 35 men, and 10 women, while Balochistan reported 30 deaths with 20 children, six men, and four women among the victims.

Meanwhile, in Pakistan-occupied Gilgit-Baltistan, the raging floods have claimed 41 lives, comprising six children, 26 men, and nine women; and of the 38 deaths recorded in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, nine were children, 17 men, and 12 women.

On the other hand, Pakistan's capital Islamabad recorded nine deaths, which included five children, three men, and one woman, Pakistani daily The Express Tribune reported.

Among the injured, Punjab bore the brunt with 661 individuals affected, comprising 200 children, 258 men, and 203 women, underscoring the severe impact on vulnerable groups across the province.

Over 200 villages across several districts in Punjab, including Multan, Lodhran, and Bahawalpur, reportedly remain submerged following breaches in the Sutlej River embankment

Reports suggest that for the past 20 days, stagnant floodwater in these villages has destroyed homes, ruined crops, and left thousands of residents without shelter.

"Our homes are destroyed; our crops are gone. We have been patient for 20 days, but now we need this water to be drained so we can even begin to think about rebuilding our lives," Pakistani daily Dawn quoted Afzal Baloch, one of the residents, as saying.

Furthermore, the devastating flood injured 218 people in KP, among them 70 children, 99 men, and 49 women. Sindh reported 87 injuries, with 39 children, 29 men, and 19 women, highlighting the widespread effect of the floods across all age and gender categories. Balochistan recorded five injuries, including two children, two men, and one woman.

--IANS

scor/as