Pakistan floods: Death roll rises to 1,300

Pakistan's catastrophic floods have resulted in the death of nearly 1,300 people in the country, even as relief operations continue.

The death toll since June has reached 1,290, with 29 people dying in the last 24 hours, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said on Saturday according to Geo News.

Meanwhile, Pakistan's government agencies and private NGOs continue with their relief operations described to be a "humanitarian disaster of epic proportions".

Large parts of the country remain submerged, particularly in the provinces of Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh in the south. At least 180 people have died in Sindh followed by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (138) and Balochistan (125), reported Geo News.

At least, 1,468,019 houses have been partially or totally damaged, while 736,459 livestock have been killed due to the floods.

Aid has come in from a number of countries, with the first humanitarian assistance flight from France landing on Saturday morning in Islamabad. Initial estimates of the damage have been put at $10 billion, but surveys are still being conducted along with international organisations.

Federal Minister of Poverty alleviation and Social Safety Shazia Mari said that 723,919 families so far have received Rs 25,000 in cash relief (per family), and an amount of Rs 18.25 billion has been disbursed.

"Despite challenges, the Benazir Income Support Programme rolled out its operations within no time after the announcement by the Prime Minister (Shehbaz Sharif)," she wrote on Twitter.

Earlier today, in a press conference at the National Flood Response and Coordination Centre alongside military officials, Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal called on the international community to support Pakistan. Iqbal assured the nation that the government, supported by its functionaries, would leave "no stone unturned" in bringing normalcy back at the earliest possible time, reported Geo News.

Due to internal displacement, more than 500,000 people are currently living in relief camps across Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh, and Punjab.

The floods that have inundated a third of the country, affecting more than 33 million people, were preceded by four heatwaves and multiple raging forest fires, the disaster management chief told the high-level meeting - highlighting the effects of climate change in the South Asian nation.

ALSO READ:

• 'We've gone back 50 years': Pakistan farmers count flood damage

• Pakistan