The monsoon rains causing massive flooding across Pakistan are “unprecedented in the last 30 years,” PakistaniPrime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Monday.
“There is an ocean of floodwater everywhere,” the premier said as he toured badly hit areas in the north to direct relief operations.
International aid was reaching Pakistan on Monday, as the military and volunteers desperately tried to evacuate many thousands stranded by widespread flooding driven by “monster monsoons”.
Cargo planes from Turkey and the United Arab Emirates began the international rush to assist the impoverished nation, landing on Sunday in Islamabad carrying tents, food and other daily necessities. Trucks carrying tents, food, and water arranged by Pakistan were also being dispatched to various parts of the country by the National Disaster Management Authority for tens of thousands of flood victims.
So far, exceptionally heavy monsoon rains that triggered flash floods across the country have affected 33 million Pakistanis, damaged nearly 1 million homes and killed at least 1,061 people.
