Nine more die in Balochistan floods

QUETTA:

At least nine more people have lost their lives to flash floods and rains in Balochistan in the past 24 hours as ISPR announced restoration of disconnected road links in the province on Friday.

This pushed up the total death toll to 120 so far.

“Around 42 children and 32 women are also among the dead", Naseer Ahmed Nasar, the Director-General of Provincial Disaster Management Authority (DPMA) told The Express Tribune.

Lasbela and Jhal Magsi districts of Balochistan have been hit hard lately where thousands have been left homeless and stranded under the open sky waiting to be taken out and transported to safe places.

“Still thousands of people are stranded in Lasbela district,” Qaisar Roonjha, a social activist said.

Especially, women, children, and elderly remained the biggest victims of flash floods and torrential rains in both Lasbela and Jhal Magsi.

“Women and children have taken refuge on the roofs of their huts,” Muhammad Bilal Kamboh, another resident of Lasbela said. “Their shanty houses have no proper roofs to where they could stay until rescued,” he added.

The Balochistan government has declared an emergency to tackle the situation.

Floods and rains have also damaged over 12,000 houses throughout the province, DG PDMA said.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 30^th, 2022.