Rains Day 3: Misery continues, body count rises

At least 12 people were confirmed dead across the country today.

Monsoon rain and floods have killed at least 58 people across Pakistan and affected tens of thousands of others, officials said Monday, warning of more rain to come.

"At least 58 people have died, more than 30 others were injured and 66,000 were affected by rain and flooding in Pakistan since July 31," Brigadier Mirza Kamran Zia, operations chief of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), told reporters.

Zia said floods were receding and people were returning to their homes, but he warned that more rain than usual was expected this month and next.

NDMA chief Major General Muhammad Saeed Aleem said the recurring flooding was the result of global climate change.

"Unexpected rains are global climatic change phenomena, but we can prepare and plan ahead to mitigate the disaster," Aleem said.

"We are worried about central Pakistan this year, where more rain and flooding from hill torrents is expected," Aleem said.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif sent three of his cabinet ministers to inspect damage in flood-hit areas.

At least 12 people were killed in rain-related incidents on Monday, Express News reported.

Karachi

Flash floods following monsoon rain paralysed parts of the largest city Karachi at the weekend.

Authorities in the city of 18 million people, which contributes 42 percent of Pakistan's GDP, said it would take more than two days to clear up after the water flooded markets, buildings and houses and blocked roads.
Hundreds of cars were half-submerged after poor sewerage and drainage systems became blocked due to garbage.

Rangers have set up a relief camp at the Benazir Bhutto community service center near Moach Goth for rain affected people in Karachi while people in many other areas continue to suffer, Express News reported.

A husband and wife, along with their children, are still missing after their car fell in a drain in Buffer Zone, as the crane called in for the search operation ran out of diesel.

Three days after the rains, some people in North Karachi, Yousuf Goth, Ali Goth, Allah Wali, and Sarjani Town are still stuck in stagnant water.

Four dead bodies have been recovered from rain water in Karachi today.

Rajanpur

Most of Rajanpur was still flooded on Monday, with four more people confirmed dead in the area.

Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has announced a Rs50 million relief package for the affected in the devastated district.

Hyderabad

Four children of the same family died due to electrocution while playing in the rain water in Hyderabad on Monday.

Pakistan has suffered devastating monsoon floods for the last three years, including the worst in its history in 2010 when catastrophic inundations killed almost 1,800 people and affected 21 million.