Millions of people are being evacuated from southern Pakistan as the region braces for another deluge of rainwater, officials said on Friday, as the death toll surpassed 1,200.
Thousands of troops, rescuers and volunteers were using boats and helicopters as part of rescue operations in the province of Sindh, regional government spokesman, Murtaza Wahab, said.
“It’s a race against time,” said Wahab, who is overseeing the evacuation.
Several towns in Sindh, the region hit hardest by flooding triggered by heavy monsoon rains starting in mid-June, were facing a fresh deluge on Friday.
Indus, the longest river in Pakistan, which flows from the Himalayas to the Arabian Sea in the south, once again burst its banks last week following heavy rains in the mountains.
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Almost 20,000 cubic metres of water per second is now flowing downstream and will shortly reach major cities in Sindh, the disaster management agency said.
Television footage showed people stranded on rooftops waving to helicopters and rescue boats.
Others were seen wading through waist-high water in search for dry ground.
“We are trying to reach people who are still in the middle of water without food and shelter,” said Rustam Jamali, a rescuer from the Al-Khidmat charity.
At least a third of Pakistan, an area equal to the size of Britain has been under water for weeks now, Climate Minister, Sherry Rehman, said.
