41 deaths in NW province in 24 hours, toll rises to 750 across Pakistan since June end

Peshawar/Islamabad, Aug 20 (PTI) Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir on Wednesday visited northwest Pakistan’s worst flood-ravaged Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where the death toll due to torrential rains has risen to 380 since August 15.

Across Pakistan, 43 people were killed in the last 24 hours in rain-related incidents, taking the total deaths to 750 since the start of the monsoon in June last week, according to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).

Prime Minister Sharif, Munir and several federal ministers visited the flood-affected districts of Swat, Buner, Shangla, and Swabi in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and received a comprehensive briefing on the ongoing rescue and relief operations in the province. Sharif and others also interacted with flood victims in Buner, when the Prime Minister assured them of the federal government’s and the Pakistan Army’s “unwavering commitment to extending maximum support in this critical hour” and emphasised that “every available national resource will be mobilised to accelerate recovery efforts and restore normalcy in the affected areas.” Sharif also distributed compensation cheques worth Rs 2 million to affected people.

Spokesman for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) Bilal Faizi told PTI on Wednesday that in all 41 bodies were recovered by the rescue authorities from the debris in Swabi district during the last 24 hours.

With this recovery, the total death toll since August 15 in the province has increased to 380, he said, adding that the rescue operations are still underway in Buner and Shangla districts.

Buner and Swabi emerged as the worst-hit districts while Swat, Bajaur, Mansehra, Shangla, Lower Dir, Battagram and Swabi have also been badly affected due to persistent rains and floods across the province since last week.

Meanwhile, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur announced that families whose houses were destroyed in these floods will be provided with new homes, and compensation will be given to all affected people without exception.

Gandapur made the announcement during a meeting of the provincial cabinet here as the chief minister reviewed the overall flood situation. Officials gave a detailed briefing on damages, rescue efforts, and ongoing relief and rehabilitation activities across the province.

The chief minister also directed the officials that the healthcare facilities in the affected areas must be made fully functional and asked them to take preventive measures against possible outbreaks of diseases.

Gandapur also said that in addition to the already allocated Rs 3 billion, an additional Rs 2 billion has been released for flood relief and rehabilitation.

Apart from the deaths in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, 11 people died in Sindh province and Gilgit-Baltistan in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir each while one died in Balochistan province, the NDMA data said, quoting figures for the past 24 hours.

The death toll reached 750 and 978 are injured across Pakistan in the current monsoon season that began on June 26, the NDMA data added. PTI AYZ/SH NPK NPK