基斯坦西北部地区洪水的蔓延已造成至少1,100人死亡,救援人员正奋力搜寻其余数千名被困者。
在开伯尔-巴图克瓦省,2.7万余人被困。数百座房屋被暴雨、山洪和山体滑坡冲毁。
军用直升机和船只在如注的大雨中将攀在被毁房屋 上和屋顶的村民们救起。部队的工程人员正试图修复公路、分流暴涨的河流。
巴基斯坦首席军方发言人阿巴斯(Athar Abbas)说,约三万军人投入到了救援工作中,但交通基础设施严重受损影响到了救援工作的开展。山洪冲毁了道路和桥梁,也切断了偏远山区数千座村庄与外界的联系。
洪水也影响到北约(NATO)对阿富汗的供给线,因为有些被水淹没的道路已经关闭。美国周日宣布,将为此次洪灾中的难民提供1000万美元的援助,同时美国C-130飞机将携带援助物资飞抵巴基斯坦。
巴基斯坦气象部门说,巴基斯坦之所以出现历史上最严重的洪水是由于雨量极其充沛的雨季以及西风性气候条件进入该国所引起的。
巴图克瓦省说,大约3,700座房屋被毁,逾90条主要道路因被洪水淹没而封闭。连接伊斯兰堡和白沙瓦的高速路也收到了影响。即使在周日降雨停止、洪水开始消退后,救援队伍也依然未能达到某些地区。
人们拿着行李,背着孩子,光脚在深水中行走数英里,寻找安全地带。政府及联合国的官员们说,一些灾民中已经爆发了痢疾和其他疾病,这令人担心今后死亡人数可能会进一步上升。官员们周日估计,目前至少有1,100人遇难。
巴图克瓦省新闻部长侯赛因(Mian Iftikhar Hussain)说,由于许多地区依然与外界失去联系,因此具体的死亡人数尚不可知。他说,这是该省最为严重的一次洪灾。山洪还冲毁了农田和果园。
At least 1,100 people have been killed as floods spread across northwestern Pakistan, and rescuers are struggling to reach thousands more who are trapped.
In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province more than 27,000 people are stranded. Hundreds of villages have been swept away by torrential rains, flash floods and landslides.
Army helicopters and boats are being used to rescue people clinging to the walls and rooftops of damaged houses, as the gushing water tears through villages. Army engineers are trying to reopen roads and divert swollen rivers.
Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas, chief military spokesman, said some 30,000 troops are involved in the relief and rescue work, which has been hampered by massive damage to the country's communications infrastructure. Thousands of remote villages in mountainous areas were cut off when flash floods swept away roads and bridges.
The flooding also affected the NATO supply line to Afghanistan, when part of the submerged route was closed to traffic. The U.S. announced Sunday that it would give $10 million in aid for the flood victims, while U.S. C-130 planes would fly to Pakistan with relief goods.
Pakistan's meteorological department said the worst flooding in the country's history was caused by unusually heavy monsoon rains and a westerly weather system entering Pakistan.
The provincial government said some 3,700 houses were destroyed and more than 90 main roads were closed after being submerged. The motorway linking Islamabad to Peshawar was also closed. Rescue teams have yet to reach several areas even after the rain stopped Sunday and floodwaters started to drop.
Carrying their belongings and children on their backs, people walked barefoot several miles through deep water seeking safety. Government and United Nations officials said diarrhea and other diseases have broken out among the victims, raising fears the death toll will rise further. Officials estimated Sunday that at least 1,100 people had been killed so far.
Mian Iftikhar Hussain, the information minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, said an exact death toll wasn't known, as many areas were still cut off. 'This is the worst-ever flood in the province,' he said. Flash floods also destroyed crop fields and fruit orchards.