Sindh [Pakistan], August 30 (ANI): At least 13 people were killed and many remained missing after a boat carrying around 25 flood victims capsized in the swollen Indus River in Pakistan’s Sindh province on Monday, local media reported.
The incident took place in Bilawalpur village in Sindh’s Sehwan city when a boat taking flood victims from submerged villages to a safer location capsized. The deputy commissioner said that the death toll rose to 13; while eight people have been rescued. Rescue sources said that nearly 25 flood victims were being taken to the relief camps when the incident took place, Geo News reported.
This comes as the Pakistan government and the military are undertaking relief operations in flood-affected areas. The humanitarian situation in Pakistan has deteriorated over the past two weeks as heavy rains continue to cause flooding, and landslides resulting in displacement and damage across the country, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
The country is facing the worst rain-induced flooding in its history. Sixty-six districts have been officially declared to be ‘calamity hit’ by the Government of Pakistan – 31 in Balochistan, 23 in Sindh, nine in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), and three in Punjab. The situation remains dynamic, and many more districts have been affected; the number of calamity-declared districts is expected to rise as rains continue to fall.
The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) reported some 33 million people in Pakistan have been affected. Over 218,000 houses have been destroyed and a further 452,000 damaged since June 14, according to the NDMA. Livelihoods are also being heavily impacted – more than 793,900 livestock – a critical source of sustenance and livelihoods for many families – have died, of which some 63 per cent are in Balochistan and 25 per cent in Punjab. Around 2 million acres of crops and orchards have also been impacted, including at least 304,000 acres in Balochistan, 178,000 acres in Punjab, and some 1.54 million acres in Sindh.
Damage to infrastructure has further worsened the humanitarian situation, as the partial or complete destruction of over 3,000 km of roads and 145 bridges impedes the ability of people to flee to safer areas or to travel to access markets, healthcare, or other vital services, and restricts the delivery of aid to people in need. (ANI)
