14 September,2014 08:35 AM IST | | Agencies
Ahmad Kamal, NDMA spokesman says that more than two million people have been affected by the ongoing crisis
Islamabad: Pakistan's National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) on Saturday said that at least 280 people have been killed due to heavy rain and floods in various parts of the country.
Pakistani army troops carry out rescue operations in the outskirts of Islamabad. Pic/AFP
NDMA spokesman Ahmad Kamal said that more than two million people have been affected by the ongoing crisis. His statement comes as military specialists blew up dykes in central Pakistan to divert swollen rivers and save cities from raging floods.
Most of the breaches at the overflowing Chenab river were made overnight as flood waters reached Multan. An additional hole was breached near Karachi's Shershah Bridge as a result of which water flowed rapidly into towns in the vicinity. As a consequence, dozens of villages have also been inundated.
Civil and military officials have been using helicopters and boats to evacuate those displaced since September 3, when floods triggered by monsoon rains hit Pakistan.
The military said in a statement that it was still evacuating people and air-dropping food in the districts of Multan, Muzaffargarh and Jhang while the army's medical teams is treating patients.
