Islamabad (AsiaNews) - The floods that hit Pakistan on 5 September have so far caused the death of 257 people in Punjab province, injuring an additional 461. Some 1,413 homes have been severely damaged with another 265 totally destroyed. In the province, a total of 551,159 people have been affected, about a million in the whole country.
To cope with the situation, the Catholic Church has called for a day of prayer tomorrow, in support of survivors. Meanwhile, Mgr Rufin Anthony, bishop of Islamabad/Rawalpindi, visited Sharoon Colony, a predominantly Christian settlement, where he met residents. The village saw more than 200 homes destroyed and hundreds of people are still waiting for help.
"When we saw the water level rise, my family and I went up on the roof," said Asghar Masih, one of the residents whose house was swept away by the raging river. "Suddenly, the house started to slip to one side. We ran down and out and then helplessly saw it disappear into the river."
According to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), rains destroyed about 435,843 acres of farmland. In Azad Kashmir, 3,986 homes were partially destroyed and 2,132 are a total write-off.
The Punjab Highway Department reported that 20 roads were closed to traffic, and in the central city of Jhang, the authorities deliberately broke a levee to divert floodwaters.
"The floods have destroyed everything," said Mary Bibi, a woman from the village of Head Marala near Sialkot. "Boats came to rescue us, but we do not have any food. We live in the open, under the sky, and we were told we could get more rain."