» 07/31/2010 10:31 PAKISTAN Nearly 500 deaths in the monsoon rains in northern Pakistan They are the worst rains in 80 years. More than 6,000 victims feared. The area most affected is the north-west of Pakistan and the Swat Valley, a place of tourism. Many areas are isolated.
Peshawar (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Nearly 500 people were killed by floods or landslides between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Most died in northwest Pakistan, about 60 have died in Afghanistan.
Heavy monsoon rains have been falling for days destroying roads, bridges, and houses and isolating hundreds of thousands of people.
The city of Peshawar has been rendered inaccessible and hundreds of tourists in the Swat Valley are missing. Mian Iftikhar Hussain, Minister of Information, said that the toll could rise even more. He is afraid it could shoot up to 6000 people. "We are facing the worst disaster in the history of our province," he said.
The army is leading emergency teams who have so far evacuated nearly 15,000 people and launched at least 50 tonnes of food rations in the affected areas from planes and helicopters. According to authorities, the rains and floods are the worst for over 80 years.
Over 300 mm of water fell in three days, the highest level in the last 35 years, and more rain is expected over the weekend. The meteorological office expects rainfall for at least another 10 days. The monsoon season in Pakistan lasts until early September.
