Written by Kanishka Singharia | Edited by Sohini Goswami
Heavy rain lashed streets of Pakistan leading to flash floods and inundated several parts of the country. The Shehbaz Sharif government has declared a “national emergency” in the wake of widespread devastation.
According to a report by news agency AFP, rainfall and consequent floods had so far killed 937 people, including 343 children, and left at least 30 million homeless. Sindh has seen the highest number of deaths at 306 since June 14 with 23 of its districts declared calamity-hit.
In pics: More than 4 million in Pakistan affected by floods
The abnormal increase in rainfall has triggered flash floods across the country, particularly in the southern part of Pakistan.
Visuals on Twitter by a senior journalist showed cars parked on streets completely submerged in water. Another video showed a prominent hotel collapsing in the floods.
Another clip showed a large house being washed away by floodwaters in Bahrain, Swat. A Reuters report said that in the last 24 hours 150km of roads had been damaged across the country and over 82,000 homes have been partially or fully damaged. Since mid-June, when the monsoon began, over 3,000km of road, 130 bridges and 4,95,000 homes have been damaged.
Videos shared by the official account of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) showed people being guided to safety by relief teams from an area where flood waters seemed to be gushing out with force.
Pakistan has urged the international community to help with relief efforts as it struggles to cope with the aftermath of torrential rains that have triggered massive floods since last month.
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