Millions hit by Pakistan's monsoon floods

NEARLY 4.5 million villagers have been hit by monsoon flooding in Pakistan, with 370 reported dead.

Homes have been swept away by landslides, crops swamped and livestock drowned across three provinces.

Children’s charity Plan International is starting its aid response with health and hygiene kits for 3,000 families.

“A third of health facilities haven damaged in the affected areas,” says Plan’s country director in Pakistan, Rashid Javed.

“Hill torrents have caused havoc in some areas, with commuters trapped by flash floods, while collapsed houses have caused deaths and injuries.”

Huge swathes of farmland have been damaged by the rains, while nearly 1,200 villagers are reported injured.

Official figures put the number of homes damaged at nearly 275,000 across Balochistan, Punjab and Sindh, while more than 7,800 cattle have been lost.

In Dera Ghazi Khan, Punjab, rainwater has twice breaches of the canal, leaving much of the 500-year-old city submerged.

And in Sindh, more than 275,000 villagers are reported to be sheltering in relief camps, with a further 250,000 living on the roadside.

According to the Pakistan Met Office, the district of Jacobabad, Sindh, received nearly 19 inches of rain in less than a week.

“The forecast for the week ahead does not indicate any significant increase in monsoon rains across the country,” says Mr Javed.

For more information on Plan’s work visit www.plan-uk.org